Safe in My Arms
by Lady Elora
Summary: Victoria's life was crushed by her brother's death. Years later, she has to battle with obstacles of all kinds, including herself, to fufill her dreams, and when unexpected events cause her to leave her world behind, can she ever love again? Legomance.
1. Prolouge

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of Tolkien's amazing work, nor do I ever even dream to foreshadow it's greatness with my puny, pathetic fantatic obsession.

**Note to the Reader: **I know what your all thinking.(graon) Allorais starting yet another story. Your right, I am. I've wanted to give my hand at a Legomance for ages. I could care less that there's thousands of them and I will probably get flamed for adding another to the list. I'm mostly writing this for my own pleasure. But for those of you who actually like these kind of stories, I hope you enjoy it. :)

_There is a index at the bottom for Horse terms_.

And, before I get flamed for this too, **Legolas does not enter this story until Part Two**.

**Extended Summary: **Victoria's life was crushed by her brother's death and since then her life has collapsed around her as her parent's fears for her safety resulted in the destruction of everything she held dear. Now,years later, she has to battle with obstacles of all kinds, including herself, to fufill her dreams, and when unexpected events cause her to leave her world behind, can she ever love again? Legomance.

**Rating: **This fic is rated **'T' **for mild language, violence, and some mild innuendo.

* * *

**Chapter One**

Expectations

* * *

"That horse is a monster Vic! I want him out!" shouted my father in fury. I sat on my horse Talorta's back while he screamed and fumed at me. Talorta could care less, as could I. If I was anything, it was stubborn and I could ride this lecture out. 

It was something about me that my parents had always noticed, competitive, competition, pride, adrenalin. Four words that were what I lived on. To describe me, well, that was easy. I was stubborn yes, but naive about the world. A world that had been cruel to me these last few years. Yes,this was me, Victoria Nightengale. I preferred to be called Vic. I suppose Tom-boy described me well enough.

And this was where my story began, though I didn't know it. Right now I wasn't thinking about much else besides my father's temper... and I rolled my eyes as he continued his lecture, now I really wasn't listening... at all.

My mother liked to say I had been born fighting from the beginning. What was worthy of my desire, I fought for it. I liked to think of myself as fearless. Mostly. I was country through and through, slow to trust, and even slower to speak when around other people. I didn't like change. I loved horses, they had been in my life since age two. It was all I ever thought about and dreamed about. I basically ate, slept, rode, and dreamt horses. School falling somewhere in between. Sure that sounds great, but in times like this... it made me mad angry.

"Vic are you listening to me? _Didn't you hear what I just said?_ I want him _destroyed._"

My head jerked sharply and Talorta's head bobbed up, as if he knew what my father had said clear as day. My father's facehad reddened withrage and his mouth was pressed into a thin line. His voice flat. I blinked uncomprehendingly at him."_What_?"

"You know what I mean Vic."

"You can't Dad! He's _mine_." My hands were trembling despite my brave words... and I pulled back on Talorta's reins to back him away from my fuming father.

"No, he isn't. He's no one's. He murdered your brother for God's sake!"

A shiver ran down my spine as I watched my father, his eyes blazing and full of anger as he stared at my 17 hand Appaloosa Stallion. "It was an accident Dad, and you know it." I said softly, unable to believe what he was telling me.

Yeah, that's why my old man hated horses so much now. My older brother Zach died a year ago after he fell off Talorta. It had been an accident, but my parents hadn't seen it that way. And they were never the same again. It had been Zach's fault, they knew it, I knew it. He had been careless, the jump had been too high. And he died as soon as he hit the fence, his neck snapped. But his death had not killed my affections for Talorta, for after the accident, he had been partly blinded, for he had crashed head first into the fence, and only jumped still because of me. I think he could see shadows, dark shadows. And he was nervous around my father, quite frankly I didn't blame him.

"Your brother died because of that thing, and he dies... tonight." my dad screamed, he was turning red from the effort. I didn't say anything, instead walking back over to the course to study and prepare to jump it. And he grabbed my leg and pulled me from the saddle. When I hit the ground, Talorta shied away and then stared, starting to tremble. I sat in the dust, stunned as my father gripped my arm and dragged me to my feet.

"You will obey me. That horse _dies_and if you won't... thenI'll do it myself." He hissed.

I wrenched my wrist away from him, my father's grey hair was standing on end, his brown eyes inflamed. I wanted to scream at him, I wanted to tell him that he would never hurt Talorta. But I couldn't, my words would not come. My mother ran out of the house screaming for us to stop.

"This ends _tonight_ Victoria. After supper." He hissed before he jerked away and stormed into the house. My mother looked on helplessly at the two of us. Trying to decide whom to speak to first.

I glared at him with uncheck fury, stabbing imaginary knives into his back. Then turned on my heal and ran to Talorta who buried his huge head in my chest as I rubbed his neck to calm him down. I didn't turn when I heard my father slam the door, nor my mother calling after him, "Henry, wait!"

But I knew she wouldn't stand up to him. She was terrified of Talorta, terrified I would die too. She would side with him. But I knew I wouldn't. Talorta and I were close, he was the closest friend I had ever had. And sometimes I hated Zach for dying the way he had. Talorta was still resting his head in my chest, as if trying to hide his massive body. He was aleapord Appaloosa. He waswhite except for the tiny, black spots sprinkled here and there along his sides as if he'd gotten under the wrong side of a paint can.He was 15 this year, I had known him since he was a foal. I was 18, and legally allowed to take care of myself.

And my father would never lay a hand on my horse. He'd have to kill me first.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, I didn't eat dinner. I sat by Talorta as he grazed in the field. We had a huge 20 stall barn, at one point, my parents had been top breeders and trainers, all that changed when Zach died. Now the fields and stalls were empty, like the reminders of ghosts. I could still hear the horse's whinnies and knickers. I could still hear them gallop over the fields. I looked up at Talorta, his spotted nose was resting on my head. I smiled and reached up to pat him,

"You're a good boy. You didn't kill anyone." He breathed softly though my long brown hair which was falling out of a loose bun. He stood lazily above me, we trusted each other with our lives. He had been mine, but Zach had wanted to ride him that one day, showing off for his friends. I had loved Zach with all my heart. After me, the doctors said Mom could have no more children, so it was just the two of us, we were only two years apart, and a piece of me died when Zach did. It hadn't been right. _Nothing was right anymore._ Didn't my father see what he was doing to me? I loved both of them more then life itself. But I loved Talorta too, and sometimes he was the only thing who could remind me of Zach.

I had a sort of sixth sense. I had expectations, I could feel when things were going to happen. It always was an asset to me. But it failed the day Zach died. Talorta nibbled on my hair and I laughed softly and patted his nose.

"It isn't grass love. Sorry." He snorted, showering me with a rain of snot. "Thanks man, I love you too." I said softly.

Then he dropped his head to a patch of grass by my side and started to graze. I had decided then what I was going to do. I stood up and patted Talorta's side, my jaws working as I thought, my blue eyes stealing glances around the deserted barn. There was work to do- and there would be no turning back now.

* * *

_I deserved better then this._ I thought fiercely to myself. I wanted to follow my heart, like Zach always used to tell me to. I thought the obstacles in my way would be events and people beyond my control. I never dreamed they would be my _parents_. Talorta's hooves made hardly any noise as he walked up the ramp into the horse trailer. I had resorted to this, _running away_. Dad hadn't carried out his threat, but he was planning to kill Talorta this morning, while I slept. I heard him talking last night. So I was running away. I wondered what Zach would think of me now... I shook the thought off as a dog shakes water from it's body. I couldn't think about Zach right now.

Zach was dead.

I had been forced to hire someone, I couldn't bring myself to steal my parent's truck. The driver started the pickup as soon as I seated myself at his side and pulled out of the driveway. He stuck a grubby hand out for a down payment as soon as we were on the road and I grudgingly handed him his money. He had a stick-like face with high cheekbones and a wild look in his eye. I didn't like him, but what choice did I have?

I had never expected that things would come to this. My parent's, or my horse. _Why did they have to do this to me?_ I had decided to take Talorta to show, to perhaps prove to them that he wasn't dangerous. And that maybe they'd take us back in, so it wasn't really running away. I would only run away if they said no, and from there I didn't know what I would do.

My sixth sense hadn't kicked in yet, so I was on my own now. But when it did, this time my gift didn't work so well, and something happened which I would have never expected. Everything was going wrong.

* * *

I pushed a stray lock of my wispy brown hair behind my ear. I had blue eyes, and my complection was weather worn, tanned. My hand rough from continuous outdoor use, and my tall, wiry frame was well suited for a rider. I placed my hands on my knees and began to drum my fingers on them.

The way to this show was taking a lot longer then I would have thought. Where was this guy going? I glanced at the road, my eyes bore confusion. It was deserted, no other signs of life in view. What happened to the high-way?

Suddenly the truck stopped, the driver turned to the key. "Why are we stopping?" I asked, forcing the nervousness out of my voice.

His dark eyes caught mine, I didn't like the glint I saw in them. "Your kinder pretty aren't ya? Ya know that?" the first words he had uttered to me the entire time, and them made me start to tremble. He slid along the seat closer to me and I rose my hand to strike him, he grabbed my wrist. Fear welled up inside my chest, Talorta started to bang on the trailer walls.

"I think we should..." I didn't get to finish as he held out his hand again.

"I need more money."

"What for? I've given you plenty..." He caught me off in a kiss. I pulled away gasping. "I want more money, if'n you don't... you'd better be prepared for some lovely company."

I reached for my pocket as he leaned again, and I felt something incredibly hard. "Too slow." He murmured and locked me in a kiss once more. I grabbed the hard thing and smashed it to his skull. He slumped to the floor, lifeless and I scrambled away, glancing at the object in my hand. It was a pistol. I dropped it like it had burned me and slid out the car, running to the trailer.

_How much time did I have until he awoke? Would I be able to stop him again?_ _He was strong. But I was strong too_. My mind countered back. My fear was turning into panic, my sixth sense starting to go crazy. I tacked up Talorta as fast as I could, my hands shaking with the effort. How I wanted my parents just then. _Why was I here? Was it worth it?_ Soon as Talorta was saddled I grabbed some food for myself and shoved them into my saddle bags along with some feed for Talorta. _How long had it taken me?_ A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I glanced at the truck, but I didn't see any movement.

I mounted quickly, spurring Talorta into a gallop. What I didn't expect was for my sixth sense to fail me as I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. And the loud shot of a gun. Nor did I expect the bright flash to appear before us, nor the darkness that claimed my consciousness as Talorta galloped into the light.

* * *

_Index of Horse Terms_

Hand: Measurement used to measure a horse. One hand Four Inches.

Stallion: Non Neutered male horse over the age of four.

Jumps: Type of competitive riding, jumping over obstacles at a range of height from 8 inchesto sometimes 7 foot for pro's.

Appaloosa: Breed of horse, commonly an Indian Horse. Famous for it's unusal, spotty color.

'Tacked Up': Term for saddling up your horse.

**That's about it, Feed back is appreciated. If you have any questions, please leave them in your review or else email me. :)**

Thanks again to my Beta, Kiann!

**TO BE CONTINED...**


	2. Awakening

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's, that is all.

Chapter Quote: **"What is your name child?"**

* * *

Chapter Two

Awakening

* * *

When I awoke, my shoulder throbbed painfully and Talorta was hovering above me. His big eyes were staring at me worriedly, his freckled nose nudged me. _Get up. _He seemed to be saying, I slowly sat up and peered at my arm. It was bleeding, faintly now, but by the way my head was spinning and by the way my side was soaked, I knew I had lost a LOT of blood. I groaned, I couldn't stay here, I needed help. But where exactly was _here_? I looked around the first time, I was on the edges of a forest, the trees were tall, amazing beautiful in full bloom. And amazing old, I felt like an infant... a helpless infant... alone in... where ever I was... with only Talorta. He whinnied and I looked back at him, my saddle was gone, I could see it laying in an almost unrecognizable heap a few feet away.

$700 dollars down the drain. This was all just too perfect, a wave of pain brought me back to more important matters, and I glanced again at Talorta. His bridle was still intact, the reins drooped loosely over his head. He pushed his velvet nose against my cheek, it was like a gently caress, soothing my fears. Telling me everything would be all right. But everything wasn't. I was losing more blood every moment and was soon becoming weaker and weaker. I started to cry, was I to die out here? Alone?

At least I could be with Zach now. I looked sadly at Talorta, would he be ok if the worst should happen? I didn't know. What a bittersweet thought. I didn't want to die, I had my whole life before me, an open book waiting to be read. Yet so had Zach, could fate be so cruel? Talorta again must have sensed my distress for without a word he laid down by my side. I leaned up against him, my battered body relaxing against his silky fut. I was laying on his chest, but I knew he wouldn't harm me. He dropped his head, curling his body around me and laying it on my stomach. And I finally fell asleep listening to his slow breathing.

* * *

"Is she alive?" 

"Yes, but she's lost a lot of blood."

I groggily woke up again, Talorta wasn't there anymore, I missed the warmth of his body. I felt so weak now, how much time had passed? Was I dead?

"She's waking." said a deep voice.

I opened my eyes to narrow slits, two men hovered over me, dressed in strange weather worn clothes, swords were slung at there sides and bows on their backs. I had an impulse to scream as one of them knelt next to me. He silenced my fears and talked soothingly to me, he had grey eyes, sad and kind. And I slowly felt myself breaking down and trusting him. The other who stood behind him was holding Talorta's reins. The big horse was looking down at my anxiously and I wanted to tell him that I was fine... but I wasn't. Ironic isn't it? I was too weak to even lift my weary limbs.

"Talorta?" I whispered.

The man kneeling next to me looked puzzled and he looked back at my horse. "Is that his name?" he asked me.

I weakly nodded.

"I am called Strider. This is my kin, Halbarad. We wish to help you."

I just stared at him, his soft grey eyes questioned me gently. So kind, so wise.

"What is your name child?"

"Victoria." I mumbled. "Victoria Nightengale."

Then he smiled and gently lifted me up, I can remember sitting before him as we rode away on his horse. Bading me to sleep as we rode into the thick green woods. So I did, my body swaying with the movements of the horse.

* * *

The next time I woke up, someone was bathing my arm. It was a lady, tall with dark brown hair that met with her small, delicate waist. And she had _pointed ears_. I was laying in a bed in the northern end of the room, or so I assumed it was. It was decorated sparsely, but not poorly. It reminded me somehow of home. In both east and west walls there were windows. A fire roared comfortably in the southern end, warming my chilled body.

The lady smiled, "Feeling better?" her voice was sweet and soft, melodic. Her eyes were depthless blue, they held no memory of thought, like they had just always _been_. Like the sea.

"How long have I been sleeping?"

She looked up and counted, "About a week I should think. You were very ill."

My eyes widened. A week! Where was I? I tried to sit up, but she firmly pressed me back down, rousing my temper and pride hotly.

"No Victoria, you must rest. None of that."

I glanced at her in surprise, my anger dying away. "How did you know my name?"

"Strider told me when he brought you here."

"Strider?" the name was familiar, then it clicked."I thought I had been dreaming when I met him."

"No, it was all too true, you poor thing. Humans never did heal quickly. Always so painful. He stayed for a few days to heal you, then he had to go. A strange one he is."

I looked up at her again, "Who are you? And where am I?"

She smiled, "Curious now aren't we? My name is Mirlaic. And you are in the village of Gilloth."

"Gilloth?"

"It is a small village. I am not surprised you do not know it. Few have ever heard of it, and even fewer have ever been here. But we are a good village, good people. And if it helps, only a few hours away from King Thranduil's palace. On the Eastern borders of Mirkwood."

My mind swirled with all this information, it was like a dream. And even now I wasn't sure that it was at all true. Where was I? Where was home? Where were my parents?

"Talorta...?"

"Your horse? He's fine. Resting comfortably in the stables, as you should also. I'll get you something to eat and then you should rest."

Above all else I did not want to rest or eat. But the lady was so kind, and patient. And I was tired, so I found myself obeying her wishes, and soon falling back to sleep with the sound of her humming a gentle melody that sounded like wind in the trees and the patter of rain.

* * *

**A/N: **Ihad to update, I'm sorry. I have like, three chapters written up so I thought, hey, what the heck. And no, forcing love onto other people is not normally my style, I do not have a sick mind. My sisters were making fun of me and my recent chapters in a few of my stories. (Blushes) Anyway, did you like? And I got a TON of reviews for this chapter, awesome! More are always appreciated. :)

Till next post...

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Gilloth

Disclaimer: Me no own Tolkien's work. (Bows humbly to Tolkien)

Chapter Quote: **"Yes, feel free to come and catch chickens whenever you please."**

_Update: Chapter Edited_

* * *

Chapter Three

Gilloth

* * *

Being in this strange lady's hut took a while to sink in, and a lot of soothing on her part. Her being Mirlaic that is. She figured I was some dim-witted girl from a mortal village, and being so kind, decided to inform me of this place at which I was residing. I have to tell you, I am not the person who is quick to trust... but there was something about Mirlaic that was calming. And sometimes she reminded me so much of my mother before Zach died I thought I might burst into tears. Maybe it was just the fact she looked so beautiful, or it might of just been her pointy ears. I don't know, but I found myself asking more and more questions; eagerly awaiting her replies and answers.

I was confined to my bed for a week more, and Mirlaic began to tell me everything she could about this world I was now in. She started by laying out a map of a place she called_ Middle Earth_, I had never heard of it, but not wishing to sound any thicker then I must of already I asked enough questions to satisfy my curiosity, and not sound dim at the same time. In fact, though I felt young and childish around her, she seemed to not care. Instead she seemed to rather enjoy my company, and I her's.

She showed me where Gilloth was on her strange map. She had been right, the village was not on it and was roughly drawn on by herself. There was a large forest called _Mirkwood_, and towards the middle-eastern part was Gilloth. Only about 50 miles away from the palace, as she called it. She said Gilloth meant 'star-flower', after strange flowers which grew there. The flower was rare, and used for it's beauty and smell, which could lull a raging animal (or human) to sleep. It glowed at night a cream glowered white, hence the name.

She told me that this Mirkwood was inhabited by things called Elves, which immediately brought to my mind images of little people running around Santa's Workshop in the North Pole. She laughed when I tried to explain this to her, she didn't end up getting it in the end, but it didn't matter. She said that the Elves were the Eldar, the first and fairest race in Middle Earth. She told me that they were immortal and had lived in peace in their own respective countries for years. (She also said that Elves had pointy ears.) If you can imagine, when Mirlaic said she was almost 4,000 (She thought, she couldn't quite remember) I thought I had gone mad. But eventually the idea became more and more real, and alarmingly, proven true when I saw others stop by Mirlaic's cottage during my confinement. All of them held the same grace and poise Mirlaic did, all had pointy ears, all dressed...well...kind of funny. Like something out of King Arthur's time, only they all had this look of flawlessness... even when they were working. And they all had this look in their eyes. This depthless look, like they had lived through and seen countless things, and if what Mirlaic had told me was true, they had indeed.

She said that Mirkwood was ruled by an Elf name King Thranduil, and that his palace was what she was always referring to. It was an obviously famous place. During my days in bed, I weaseled everything I could out of her about this fascinating world. She told me about the race of men, and pointed out to me their countries, and the names of their rulers. Even telling me a little history about each. She told me of little folk they called the _periannath, _in their own language. But Half-lings in my own, she said she knew little about them. Few ever heard of them, they liked to keep to themselves and had only heard of them through Strider.

Of course when she mentioned his name I wanted to learn more about my mysterious rescuer. She could tell me little, she had known him for a little while, her being a healer and all. (Which I guessed was sort of like a doctor in this weird medieval-ish sort of way or in her case, middle earth-ish) She said he and his friend were tracking a nasty little creature named Gollum who she could again tell me little of. And that he was good friends with King Thranduil's son, Legolas. They seemed to get into a lot of trouble together when they (mostly Strider because he is mortal) were younger.

I loved to hear her speak in her language which she called, Sindarin. She even began to teach me a little. Needless to say, by the time I could get up and about, I was hesitant to leave Mirlaic to explore the village. After some persuading, she got me out to see Talorta and how my heart burst to see his familiar and much longed for face again.

* * *

"Hey baby!" I called as I entered the stables outside Mirlaic's house. I rubbed his neck as he whinnied happily and nuzzled my neck and chest with his velvet nose. I laughed and began to whisper the few phrases Mirlaic had taught me. I groomed him and found that he had become good friends with Mirlaic's horse, _Sirdhail_. Mirlaic had fashioned me into a sort of light brown dress, (which I hated but was not about to complain after being locked up for so long) and I decided to ride Talorta around the village bareback to see what I could see.

Gilloth was indeed as Mirlaic had said, small. But it was beautiful, it was the first place I had truly seen in this Middle Earth. I wondered if I had gone crazy, and maybe I was dreaming. But this was much better then at home, so who cared if none of it was real and I was in a coma or something? (I certainly didn't.) At least at first I didn't mind. The Elves of the village were one of the reasons it was so amazing. They were perfectly flawless in appearance and grace. And I instantly felt out of place. The villagers were hesitant to talk to me, which Mirlaic had explained, was due to the fact that most humans did travel through, not many people (of any race) ever stopped in Gilloth at all except to get samples of it's rare namesake.

On top of that, it turns out that most Elves just don't mix with most Humans either. I was still pale and slightly weak from me past experiences, but I decided the best thing for me today was to get out of Mirlaic's house. Not that I didn't like it, I was just to curious to the world that she had spent full days for almost two weeks telling all she could. That is, all that she could tell and that I could understand. She said I was welcome as long as I liked when I told her the chances of me going home (or even finding it) were remarkably slim. Mirlaic didn't seem to mind at all. She kind of was like a second mother to me, and I wondered why she didn't have any children of her own. And then thinking on it further, if she did have children the same age as me, they'd be hundreds of years old! And that in turn, felt strangely uncomfortable to imagine.

So I brushed Talorta off and jumped on, (which is a lie, I could barely manage to sit to his excited trot bareback let alone 'jump on'. I stood on his stall door.) And I started to wander through the village of Gilloth for the first time.

* * *

It was on the edge of a thick forest, trees surrounded the little village, but only lightly on the western side and more thickly towards the eastern side. Their was a single road that ran from the west to the east and deep into the forest which Mirlaic had said led straight to another village or two, and then to King Thranduil's palace. I felt like a little girl, dreaming of Knights in shining armor and princesses locked away in towers. But this time, it was so _real_. Small houses lined either side of the road and were literally built in and around the trees. None of them had been cut down, save a few to built the houses themselves. Carved with intricate designs that seemed to flow right into the tree, and sometimes it was hard when you gazed at each one just where the elf-kind had stopped and let nature take it's course.

These Elves were not wealthy either, Mirlaic had explained to me that since the Gilloth Elves had gotten into the habit of farming, they had sometimes been looked down upon by others. Most hunted for their food, and I found just by watching some young (They looked young at least. What were they, five hundred?) elves practice archery that their aim was deadly. They stared at me when Talorta and I had rode past, some had sniggered and turned away to shoot again, but others, (besides those who stared) and flushed a deep shade of red. (From anger or some other emotion I could not tell and did not ask.) Each house had at least one horse grazing outside of it, Elven horses bind themselves faithfully to their masters, so they most of the time don't bother tying them up. All were beautiful and well... perfect. Just like their owners. And it made me and Talorta stick out all the more like a sore thumb. When I passed most people would stop and stare and I would have to keep my distance if I wanted to hear their musical laughter and listen to the sounds of their voices, speaking fluidly in their own language.

I didn't quite know what to think of them at all. Should I try to be friendly? Or just keep my distance? By the end of the day as dusk came and night settled, I decided I didn't quite know and supposed I'd just have to give myself some time to adjust. Mirlaic was waiting for me with a steaming plate of food, meat. And I couldn't help wondering if she had caught it herself. That night I went to bed quietly without a word. And I was slowly beginning to wonder if I would ever accept this strange world without 1, going crazy. 2, fitting in. 3, accepting my life. And 4, without forgetting my past.

* * *

Six months past, and slowly I began to understand my sort of new 'mother' more. Mirlaic was the village healer and in being so, held great respect among the villagers. However, keeping me had seemed like a disgrace of sorts, and many of them eyed my coldly, if not just ignoring me completely. Since few could speak in the Common Tongue (that's what Mirlaic called English) she decided it was in my best interest to start to learn her language. I had also decided that announcing that I thought I was either crazy, or from another world was entirely out of the question of trying to explain. 

She turned a cold shoulder to the whispers and sniggering being said about me, and quite frankly, it was only her patience that kept me from going out and chucking a rock or something at one of their heads when I heard what came out of their mouth's sometimes. (When I could understand them.) The Gilloth boys however, were much different... in a way that was growing rapidly more annoying everyday. Almost every one liked to talk loudly in Sindarin or Quenya whenever I walked by, knowing I could neither speak nor understand what they were saying. And those who could speak English did hesitate to call me whatever popped into their mind's first, which most of the time was 'foolish mortal' or 'daughter of orc swine' which I had to ask Mirlaic the meaning of and she flushed a deep red of embarrassment and would only say that it was a highly insulting comment.

I still haven't found out what 'orc swine' exactly is. Needless to say, I haven't made many friends. Actually, I haven't made any except for the horses around here who don't seem to mind that I'm human. I had made a breath through with my Sindarin and am actually able to converse haltingly in it. (Enough to understand most of what the boys say about me now and think of translating nasty reply's in return.) But I was still a long way off from being anything to these people. And sometimes I wondered if Mirlaic wished she had taken in a stray dog instead of me, it certainly would have caused less trouble. Or maybe even a dwarf... Mirlaic had told me all about them, though doing it without an edge of bitterness in her voice was extremely difficult. I've figured out that dwarves and elves DO NOT get along.

I was sitting at the table trying in vain to practice the Tenquar (Elven Alphabet) when Mirlair emerged from another room (Her house was actually much bigger then it had originally looked when I was sick.) with a small smile on her face.

"You've been learning Sindarin for a long time Victoria. I think it's time you tried it out in the village."

I glanced sharply at her and my eyes narrowed, "Do you find that wise? I find the local boys following me at every where I go trying to find some new way to get under my skin...uh...irritate me." I said quickly when I saw the confusion written on her face. "Besides that, how do I know whatever it is you want me to do will not just be ignored by whomever I want to talk to?"

She smiled and walked towards the table, "No, she will not be rude."

"She?"

"Yes, I want you to go see Alphril, the old merchant's wife. It's time we made you some proper clothes. And with the harvest coming on, I just don't have the time to make the material."

I blushed, "I cannot accept money from you or anything else to trade Mirlaic."

She laughed, "I know, you've told me countless times before. But you live here too, and you help and earn more then your fair share. Besides, I know Alphril's last chickens died in the spring. She would be more then happy to sell you some nice fabric for a few of ours."

"Mirlaic..."

"You will listen to me Victoria. I am tired of this, you live here now with me don't you?"

I nodded silently.

"And until you decide to leave, or find those whom love you, you are kinda (she smiled at the use of my words) suppose to listen to me so we can work together."

"You win!" I threw up my hands in defeat. "I honestly don't know why you don't have kids Mirlaic. You'd be a great mother."

She looked down and smiled faintly, "That is a story for another day." she looked up again, "Alphril's house is the greenish one with the Star-Flower tree by the front door. Tell her what you want, no cheating, you must speak Sindarin, and her son will come later to get the chickens."

"Alphril has a son?" I asked in surprise. I had met the older Elf a few times, and but I had never seen nor heard of her son.

"Yes, he's a soldier in King Thranduil's army. He was on duty on our southern borders and was granted a leave for a few months to take care of her."

"Oh." I said, Mirlaic was feeling talkative. I stood and grabbed my grey cloak which Mirlaic had given me. It was somewhere around the end of October I reckoned. We were nearing the Harvest which Mirlaic called, _Yavieba._ I smiled, I guess Elves don't celebrate Halloween. I was wearing my soft brown dress again, it had light blue edges, and was one of the few dresses I owned. I couldn't say I was thrilled about wearing dresses all the time, but it didn't seem like I had much of a choice.

-No cheating Victoria.- she said smugly in Sindarin.

-Uh...yes...I won't.- I said haltingly, and looked sharply at Mirlaic to make sure I had said nothing...stupid. She only smiled.

-Get going, it is almost supper timeand we should get started on those dresses tonight.-

I nodded and swept wordlessly into the street. The sun was nearing it's time to set so I hurried down to Alphril's house and knocked loudly on the door.

-Don't break it child! A few taps is all I need.- I heard Alphril say from within as the door swung open.

-Greetings Alphril.- I said slowly and she looked up at me in surprise.

-So Mirlaic has taught you our language?- she said, smiling.

-Some of it...just don't speak to fast. I'm not allowed to cheat.-

-Cheat?-

-Speak in the Common tongue.-

-I see.- and she smiled again. Alphril didn't look the age her eyes stated. She had blond hair reaching to her waist and she wore a simple brown dress, similar to the one I myself wore, except there was no blue. She moved gracefully...like a swan. -Come in, come in Victoria. What can I get you?-

-Some cloth, Mirlaic said I deserve a few dresses.- I scowled.

-I can tell your positively thrilled about it.- she said, gesturing me to follow her.

I was wrong about one thing, I think Alphril liked me. So that was two Elves so far in Gilloth.

She showed me dazzling material, some violet, some redder then blood, all amazingly beautiful. But in the end I choose a simple light blue and a light brown and green dress.

-What will you use in payment?- she said as she wrapped the fabrics up.

-Chickens. How many do you want?-

-Oh, I think two will be sufficient. I'll have my son follow you back. He hasn't been around here in a few years, and though I find it unlikely he's forgotten Mirlaic's cottage. He was there many times in his youth but you should accompany him all the same.-

-Thank you Alphril.-

She waved me off. -Anytime Victoria. Anytime. You must show me what they look like as soon as you've finished them.- she paused thoughtfully. -You know, they'd go very well with your eyes. You've lovely blue eyes Victoria.- I smiled.

-Farewell then.-

-Farewell, oh, Victoria. Tell Mirlaic you passed.- She winked at me before turning to someone who'd appeared at her side.

-There you are, here's Victoria. Now you follow her and go pick up two chicken's from Mirlaic's house.-

-Yes Mama.-

I couldn't see him until he had kissed Alphril and then walked into the street. He was tall, a good head above me. With dark brown hair braided in the common fashion ofawarrior. He had soft grey eyes, and I noticed the similar depth less look they had, but unlike the other Elves I had seen, he seemed so _alive_. I blushed when suddenly I realized I did not know his name. He walked up to me and smiled in a friendly way.

"Hello." he said.

I glanced up at him in surprise.

"_Nana_ told me you did not speak Sindarin very well yet."

"I won't deny it." I said, my blush disappearing and replaced with a warm smile.

"I am Faerlain, and you are... Victoria?"

I nodded, again failing to conceal my surprise.

"Well, shall we go?"

I nodded and we started walking down the road back towards Mirlaic's _flet_. (That's what she called it, even though she said flet were built in trees. According to her, what she had was close enough.)

"I've heard all about you ever since I returned home." he said.

"Probably nothing pleasant." I said bitterly, casting a dirty glance at an Elf boy who'd stared at us as we passed and stuck his tongue out at me.

"On the contrary, I heard many nice things about you..." he looked at me sheepishly, "... most of which came from Nana."

The smile crept back onto my face, there was something about Faerlain that made you want to smile and just be happy. I found that as I talked to him, I just couldn't be bitter or angry.

"I apologize for the way my people have treated you."

"Don't apologize, it was their mistake, not yours. Besides, between you, your mother, and Mirlaic, that makes three of you who've begun to like me in almost three months."

He laughed, "I can see your making progress."

"I'm not exactly...polite and likable...sometimes anyway."

"I beg to differ, your witty. That's what you are."

"And you are strange. Come to think of it, I hadn't even heard of you until today."

"That's not a terribly long time if you look at it from my viewpoint. But I was away for so long most people probably thought I was dead or something of that sort. And I have to say, out of the all the mortals I've come to meet, I'm liking you the most." he said, his eyes were bright with laughter.

"Can't of been terribly many of them then."

"You could say that."

We talked all the way to Mirlaic's, and I found myself surprised when we reached her yard, it had seemed like only seconds for I had liked Faerlain so much. I showed him where the Chickens were kept and helped him catch two and put them in a cage.

"I had an enjoyable time Victoria." He said as he prepared to leave.

"Yes, feel free to come and catch chickens whenever you please." It was an absurd comment, but he only laughed.

"Well, you'll have to buy some more dress material for me to do so." He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "So, I could help you with your Elvish if you like. It would help you fit in more here until you decide..." he broke off and looked at me expectantly. I knew he was going to say, _until_ _you decide to leave. _

I smiled, "That would be wonderful." And I wasn't lying, I wouldn't mind at all if I saw Faerlain again, again and soon that is.

"What about tomorrow? At the old willow by the stream."

"Works for me, what time?"

"Noon, bring something to eat." he smiled, "I look foward to seeing you again."

My stomach did a little leap and I smiled helplessly in return. "Sounds like a plan, I'll see you then."

"Good-bye Victoria."

"Namarie Faerlain." Again he gave me that smile and then walked back down the road. I lingered in the door way, watching him go and then shook my head. But the feeling of bliss I had felt with him didn't leave. And I found myself awaiting tomorrow anxiously.

* * *

**A/N: **I find myself updating this again only because I need to write out my other chapters. It will happen quickly though, don't worry. As I think everyone knows by now, I have a soft spot for OC's. In the future I think I'll have my go at a story with strictly cannon characters, but hey, we'll see what happens. I couldn't help myself, you know what a hopeless Romantic I am. Remember, Feedback is always needed and appreciated:) Thanks to Kiann who I don't know what I'd do without. :) 

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Morality

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's masterpiece, this is only a small contribution to his greatness, and a chance to let loose my imagination. :)

Chapter Quote: **"Two lovers."**

* * *

Chapter Four

Morality

* * *

Mirlaic kept eyeing me curiously with an amused smile on her face that night when we ate supper. "So... you like Faerlain?" 

I didn't look up right away from my plate..."Yes, very much. Apart from you and Alphril, he's the only other elf who will speak to me."

She sighed, "I know it's been difficult for you, but at least they acknowledge your presence. I think they'll warm up to you in time." She glanced at memischievously, "You would be surprised how many came up to me to complain about you.Most hold only jealousy in their hearts."

I choked on the meat I had been chewing. "Jealousy? Jealousy of_ what_?"

"Your not as homely as you seem to believe, Victoria."

"Call me Vic, please." I said quietly.

She smiled, "_Vic_, I think you have started to catch a few of their eyes."

"Really?" I asked curiously, I really didn't care...I think...but it was kinda interesting in a strange, twisted sort of way.

"Oh yes... and your not exactly the reserved type. I mean, riding around the village on a breed of horse no one has ever seen or heard of before..."

"I think they're jealous of Talorta then." I said, interrupting her and laughing.

"I may be old, and I know I don't look it, but elves do have rather sharp hearing my dear."

I looked up at her sharply, narrowing my eyes. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Oh nothing." She smiled, took a bite out of something before her."What would you like to bring with you tomorrow to eat for your lessons?"

My mouth dropped, "You heard us?"

"Of course, you giggle rather loudly."

"Do not!"

"For a human of course." She cleared her throat and batted her eyelashes at me. "_Feel free to come catch chickens whenever you want_."

I blushed.

"Come," She managed through her soft laughs. "Let us get cleaned up and start on your dresses."

* * *

The fire was warm as the night settled, silencing the village and the forest and chilling us. Autumn was here, and I suspected that Mirlaic had not just gotten me this stuff for my dresses without some reason. During the past months, we had become close, mostly because I had no one else to speak to anyway. We sat by the hearth, I cross-legged on the floor, watching the flames dance. My needle and thread lay limply in my lap. 

"You seem to be making good progress Victoria." Mirlaic said, chuckling and pushing her dark hair behind her pointed ears.

I snapped awake and looked dumbly at the material in front of me. "Uhhh..."

"It's all right, Ihad no expectations to finish them tonight." She said, smiling fondly at me.

I looked up at her, moved closer to her chair. "Mirlaic, you would of made a wonderful mother."

She paused from her needlework and looked down at me, a soft smile slowly formed on her face. "I always wanted to be one, that isone of the reasons I am so glad tohave found you. Sometimes I can pretend you are mine." Shefrowned suddenly andglanced quickly at my face. "Do youmind?"

I shook my head quickly, quenching her nervousness. "Not at all, I miss my mother... sometimes." I hesitated. "We didn't exactly part on good terms." She nodded knowingly, though she couldn't completed hide the sadness in her eyes. "But, I mean... your_wonderful_, Mirlaic. Didn't you ever find someone? The right guy...you know... your prince charming?"

She stopped again and set the fabric and needle down in her lap. She smiled fondly. "Yes... I did... a long time ago."

She didn't answer and I tapped my hand impatiently on the handle of her chair in a gesture for her to continue. "Well, what happened?"

Theflames danced in her blue eyes. "It was a long time ago...I was still but a maiden, and I shall never forget the day when a messenger brought us tidings that the Queen had delivered her first son. A son she had called, _Legolas_. Me and my two sisters were all in an uproar, and we, along with half the village hurried out to reach the palace to see him."

Mirlaic sighed, sitting back in her chair. "There were so many Elves... more then I had ever seen before...

"_From all over Mirkwood theyhad come. All wanting to see the new Prince. It was there I saw Tatharion for the first time. He was a guard, standing tall and proud at the gates. Then, at that moment, I thought I had never seen anyone so handsome."_

_"I had gotten lost, my sisters were somewhere in the crowd and I was frightened at the prospect of being so alone. I sat on the steps and began to cry when I heard someone draw near. He was tall with shining brown hair and hazel eyes. He smiled kindly as he looked down at me and he said, 'Why do you weep fair maiden?' I was so shocked he would speak to me so that my tears stopped. I answered slowly, 'I have lost my sisters, we were separated in the crowd.' He offered his hand and said I could stay with him and that they would find me soon. He sounded so confident, so true... that I found I could not say no."_

Mirlaic blushed and glanced at me, "We got lost in the moment... we talked for hours and he took me to the gardens and to the palace library. We didn't return until someone said that Prince Legolas was soon to be brought forth. He stood proudly at the gates while I waited by the steps, and the crowd hushed as the Queen brought the baby out. He was so small, with golden locks... just like his mother." Again Mirlaic blushed, which was rather amusing sinceelves seemed so infallible and unapproachable at time."I have to admit I found I could not pay much attention to the newborn babe just then forI was too busy watching Tatharion. My sisters found me later, and before I had a chance to say good-bye, he had gone."

I sat upright, my eyes wide with shock. "Mirlaic, that's so sad!" I exclaimed.

She shook her head, bading me to silence while she continued. "I was so distressed when we returned home that I fell ill and was bedridden for the next few days. I told my sister, Ana, about Tatharion and the next day who should walk into my room but him! He was dressed in a plain brown tunic... and his hair was pulled back and braided in the customary fashion of a warrior."

"He stood in my door way... and he smiled at meand my breath seemed stole away. He was carrying a bouquet of star-flowers and he handed them to me with a smile. He stayed all afternoon, though I never found out just how he found me, and he came back every day till I was well again.We saw each otheralmost every day after that. He lived in a village only a few miles away, and he'd get up at dawn _every_ morning to come see me. We decided we would like to marry, and my parents both agreed whole heartedly. Everything was going so perfectly, I thought I had strayed into a dream."

Mirlaic paused, clearing her throat, tears slowly forming in her eyes. "Tatharion was called away to the palace when news reached him of a threat on our southern borders. He told me we wouldmarry as soon as he returned. That night, a stranger came to our village, proclaiming that our army had been attacked and that many soldiers had died. He disappeared the next morning, and scouts rode out to see if it was true... they returned carrying the bodies of elves, not many in number but..." Mirlaic's voice broke and her words were sad when she continued.

"Tatharion was one of them. He was so ill, and even when his wounds had healed, he did not. His words broke my heart. He said only Valinor could bear him peacefully. He told me that I should live out my life here before I came to him. And the next day before I could protest, he was gone. "

Now Mirlaic stopped altogether and started to sew again. Silence lasted for several minutes before I intruded, "Well? What happened?"

"Obviously I stayed here little one. He said he would wait and I await the day when I will be able to see him once more." She looked down at me and smiled. "I am glad I stayed _iell_. Or else I would have never met you." She gently caressed my cheek and I smiled.

"If I never return home Mirlaic, I don't think I shall mind terribly. You have been so kind to me."

"Now you see why I do not regret not crossing with Tatharion. Elves have so much more to live for. You mortals seem to understand. Our lives go on like a continuous dance- we can only hope to step in time with the tune and to hope we can complete it. But when the song is over, so is the festival. And it is time for us to go home, finding we dance to the same tune over and over. Yet... so often we wish to linger... we find we never truly lived. Our dance may become perfected, but is it even enjoyable then? You see, that is what you mortals understand. The Dance does not end for you, you enjoy it to it's fullest. When it is over, well, there's only a new one to begin. I think that's what I envy most about your kind, the unknown adventure -death- is only a part of the dance." She paused, tapped my nose with her finger. "When you see that, child, I do not think you will ever regret that you began... and that you truly lived to dance it."

* * *

My talk with Mirlaic kept me up most of the night, and I found myself thinking about Tatharion. Her love lay across the sea in Valinor, she had told me about it once before. The final resting place for Elves. She made death seem... inviting. Not something to be dreaded at all. All night as I laid in bed I wondered if it was truly a blessing as Mirlaic said. Because for me, death had always been a curse.

* * *

Mirlaic gave me a small basket the next day as I prepared for my lessons with Faerlain. Apparently, we hadn't been so alone as we thought when we had walked to Mirlaic's house. Everyone seemed to be talking about it when I walked through town the next day, or so I assumed from the bits of Elvish I could understand. The Elves did not ignore me so coldly now, in fact those around the same age as Faerlain watched me closely as I passed. As if to see something new that they had missed, like the color of my eyes, or the shape of my body. I caught one looking closely at my bosom before I blushed and hurried along down the road.

I tried to ignore them, but after about the fifth staring elf I ran through the woods to the tree and found him leaning against it watching the river. He looked up as I approached andI swept a stray lock of brown hair away from my face. My dress was slightly soiled from my dash through the village and I was breathless. He smiled and waved,

"Come, I've been waiting for you."

I nodded and walked over, still gasping for breath.

"Varda, aren't you a sight? Are you that eager to learn the tongue of the Elves?"

"Too many...staring elves." I panted, leaning against the tree and smoothing my grey dress.

"Ahh." He said, nodding witha mischievous smile. "The local lads giving you a bit of a look?"

"It wasn't funny!"I protested.

"Well... you can hardly blame them. It is not often such an attractive human graces her presence here in Gilloth."

I smiled, knowing I wouldn't win this batter."I guess they can't seem to see why you even want to associate with me. A mortal, oh the scandal!"

Faerlain got comfortable by the tree and waved his hand vaguely. "It isobvious that I wish to associate with you and why is none of their business." He sat down on a patch of green grass by the riverbank. I noticed he had a few books laying there and he looked up expectantly at me, "Shall we begin?"

* * *

I spent most of the day there and very slowly I began to learn the ways of the Elves. For not only did Faerlain teach me Sindarin, he taught me the history of his people. By the day's end I regretted having to leave and I wished that we'd be able to do it again.

'You're a good teacher.' I said slowly in his language and he smiled.

"You are foolish to let my tongue wander so freely. But perhaps we could do this again?"

So we did.

* * *

Nearly every day for almost a month. I could barely concentrate on making my dresses at night, or any task Mirlaic had me do for that matter. More determined was I to study _Sindarin_ (which sounds really pretty when you get the hang of it) or to practice my _Tenquar_ (which is the funniest looking alphabet I've ever seen)letters. Mirlaic never once scolded me and would only smile as I raced to do my chores every day so I could get to the old willow tree in time.

Eventually I wasn't doing my dresses at all and couldhave cared less if I ever finished them. I would finish my work every morning, then leap on Talorta- squeezing his sides and urging him on ashe galloped through the streets andto the river. Talorta liked Faerlain. Soon Faerlain would bring his horse and we would ride for an hour or so before he taught me more.

I was fascinated and if ever I had a good friend, Faerlain was the best. Soon he began teaching me how to use a bow. (Actually I sort of forced him to, but he did willinglyin the end.) And I started hiking up my skirts or pinning it up around my legs. Either way, my idea's about behavior and fashion weren't exactly ladylike as he told me one day through a spasm of laughs (of course).

The forest, the river, the old willow tree were our secret havens... neither of us had to face reality of our lives while we were there. It was just the two of us... me and Faerlain. Through that... we found a sense of peace.I could always be myself around Faerlain, and my redneck side never once saw a frown crease upon his elegant face.

But as I hurried about one day, preparing to leave, I was stopped by Mirlaic.

"Victoria, we have to harvest today. I need you home."

"But Faerlain is-"

She stopped me and placed a gentle hand on my arm, her eyessaid. "Perhaps... it was best if you took a break from your lessons for a while... aye?"She said gently, yet firmly.

And in that one sentence, the fragile glass around my world shattered. None of it was real, the days that Faerlain and I spent together. They were only _games_ Faerlain and I _played_. We couldn't always escape our lives and run to the old Willow tree, because there wasn't always going to be an old willow tree... and there wouldn't always be the two of us.

* * *

He was immortal... and I knew from then on that the magic about our secret would never be the same. I didn't ask Talortato gallop to the river that day, we walked slowly. I knew Faerlain wouldn't be there. He was helping Alphril with the harvest. The water sparkled in the sunlight as I slid off Talorta's broad back. Even the leaves in Mirkwood changed color and died I found out. Mirlaid told me it was one of the few seasons (if any) in which the forest didn't seem so foreboding. I knew I couldn't stay long, Mirlaic needed my help with the Harvest.

But suddenly everything came back to me in a continuous flow. My parents, the farm, and I realized how much I had changed. And how much I missed the way my life used to be. Immortality had it's advantages: elves had years to change their mistakes, elves didn't die. I felt a longing that for my brother that I hadn't felt in years; an ache that hadn't bombarded me since that day I truly learned what death meant... when someone you loved _never_ came back. No matter how much you cried or longed for them.

I sat by the river, watching the water flow past, leaves falling slowly to the ground, my tears being swept with the ongoing tide. Death was a dance to Mirlaic, as was life. But to me, it was a curse, something to be despised and hated. Because I realized that it was my fate, but now his. No... Faerlain would live, and live on and on- until me name was only a whisper on the wind. A memory faded with time.

I stood, Talorta watched me curiously, his ears pricked. Elves could dance, and so could I. And I did. I danced to the flow of the rives, the rippling water on the rocks, the wind in the trees, in the grass. The laughter coming from the village.

And I cried.

I cried till my tears blinded me and I stumbled, landing hard on my knees and hands. I sobbed, covering my face with my hands. Why was I in this strange world? If it was not real... why was I allowed to love? I didn't understand, nor did I want to. I stood again, trying in vain to dance once more. Only to stumble and fall again. But this time my scraped hands and bruised knees didn't hit the ground again. This time two strong hands caught me by the shoulders.

"Victoria?"

For the first time I looked up, my tears subsiding long enough for me to see whom had caught me. It was Faerlain. His tunic was soiled, bearing the tell-tale signs of a hard days work-and he had smudges of dirt of his face.

"What are you doing here?" His voice held surprise and concern. "What isthe matter?"

I pulled away from him, still sobbing and hating myself for it. I had never cried in front of anyone before...not even when Zach died. It was a sign of weakness to me, and I did not have aweakness...but I couldn't stop. "What's wrong? Everything's wrong!" I cried, stamping my foot angrily. "Why did you become friends with me Faerlain? Why did you allow me to play these...these _games_?"

"They were not games Victoria..." He said in evident surprise.

"Yes they were! Even now I can't tell what reality is anymore. I can't tell what is real between us. If even you are real."

"Victoria," He said gently, nearing me again."Of course I amreal." He said, reaching out to me."What isthis about?"

I stomped again, glaring up at him. "Why did you let this happen? How could you let me..." And then I froze. I couldn't even say it, for the words had only struck me suddenly. I had barely known Faerlain for two months, and for all I knew, everything about this world might only be a dream.

"Let you what Victoria?" He asked softly, stepping closer to me and lifting up my chin to gaze into my eyes. I felt lost as I stared back into his.

"How could you let me fall in love with you?" I whispered tearfully. Yes, I had. It was a bit of a shock, but I knew it was true. _I had fallen in love with Faerlain_. His eyes widened for a moment, his brows raised as if he too had realized it for the first time, and like me, didn't know what to do. For the first time since I had met him, Faerlain was speechless. No smile returned my accusions, no words escaped his firmly shut mouth.

"I didn't understand it until today. But none of this can be real. None of it could _ever_ be real. I am mortal... you are an elf. And I thought... I hoped..." But confusion had risen up in my chest and I couldn't pull my mangled thoughts together. Tears cut me off once more and I whirled away from him no longer able to speak.

Faerlain didn't say anything for a long time, and I literally felt my heart tearing into pieces. Torn between what I was... and what I wished to be. And more importantly, what I knew _never_ could be. That us being just 'friends' hadn't worked... and that he had stolen my heart away. I was so new to this life here, and he had taken me captive to a place where I could not escape.

"Victoria, please listen to me." I felt his hands on my shoulders as he turned me around. "I never dreamed this would happen." He said ernestly, his eyes searching my own."When I met you, you were so full of fire and life... Ienjoyed your company. I felt honoredto count you as my friend." He hesitated, "I never wanted to hurt you. But..." And he smiled sheepishly, "You were rather hard to resist."

"I don't want to be hurt again." I whispered. I want to always be friends with you. I never want to lose you... like I lost Zach." My words also made me realize something else, my affection for him had run deeper then I even knew, and I was terrified of losing him. I voiced my brother's name for the first time in years, and the force of it reopened old wounds that had never really healed.

"Who?"

"My brother... Zachary. He died a long time ago." I looked down. "Morality is a curse Faerlain. I can't handle losing someone like that again."

"I know." That was all he said before I was swept into his muscular arms as he hugged me tightly. I cried on his shoulder and he caressed my back until no more tears would come and we stood silently, holding one another. He tilted my head upward and looked into my face, his blue eyes sad. "I know Victoria. I do not know how... but you stole my heart as well. But if it cannot be..." He drifted off.

"It can't." I said.

"Can notwe just be friends?" He probed me, searching my soul for answers.

I managed a weak smile, "Wasn't that what we were before?"

He smiled, "We were suppose to be." He paused."Can you?"

I nodded slowly and he embraced me tightly again.

"I do notever want to hurt you, and I never will." I could feel his warm breath on my hair, my skin, and I felt such an ache in my heart I thought I might die. But if what I was kept us from being together, then at least Faerlain could always be there for me. I wanted to stand there forever with him, but reality hit me again full force and finally took a hold of me. I broke his embrace gently, immediately missing the warmth from his body. I stepped away but before I moved far he caught my hand.

"Mirlaic will be looking for me." I whispered.

He nodded and squeezed my hand, "Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"We have to harvest tomorrow. Of course you shall." I said, forcing a smile.

"After that... will you come back?"

I looked at the ground, and then slowly to his hand which still gripped mine. And finally to his face, his blue eyes, his depth less blue eyes bore into me. I wanted to turn away, but found that I could not.

"I think so." I whispered, suddenly breathless.

"I shall tell you next the tale of Luthien and Beren." He replied with that smile I had grown to love so much. But he was sad... I knew he was sad.

"Oh?" I asked curiously. "What is that about?"

"Two lovers." He said simply, not saying more.

I smiled ruefully. "Your calling was a scholar Faerlain, not a soldier."

"Not all of us fulfill what we are called to do. Sometimes we push our dreams aside to please others." He looked imploringly into my face. "You will come?"

My throat tightened, I felt tears burn in my eyes once more. Still managing a weak smile, I nodded. Then I fled from him back to the village, my heart torn in two.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm having more fun with this story then I thought I would. But I have gotten over most of my writer's block and my other stories will be updated shortly. And that's the chapter. I am finding myself liking this story more and more. And until I work through my writer's block, this story will probably be updated more than the others. Just so we're clear. :) 

Thanks for all the feedback!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. Harvest

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's work. So let's all be happy and dance.

Author's Note:

I'm so sorry for the wait! My computer has been busted and my dad only just fixed it. I'm sorry! I hope some people like this chapter however to make up for my sin. (Bows head in shame)

* * *

Chapter Five

Harvest

I didn't tell Mirlaic about my dance by the old willow tree. I couldn't. I was confused and heartsick. And never have I felt guiltier about anything in my entire life. She bade me to eat something when I got home, not asking any questions. Even though I said nothing, I could feel her eyes, and somehow I think she knew something was wrong. I was glad she asked no questions, for even if she had I don't think I would have been able to answer them. Thought she was close now, no one could take the place that should have been my mother's. And if it had been my mother's, I would have never met Faerlain anyway. Tomorrow was the harvest, and the day after was the final day where we would feast, play, and dance all day. Sort of like Thanksgiving back home in the States. Only I had known no joy in the holiday since Zach had died.

I was sure to see Faerlain on both days, how would I keep my emotions in check? I gently caressed my hand, the one he had held and brought to his face. It held a warmth that I could not explain. Mirlaic gave me a curious glance.

"Victoria?"

I looked up into her wise, beautiful face.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

I hesitated, then shook my head. I could not find it in my heart to tell her, that even though I loved her, and this place, I was miserable. And always would be. It hurt to much to think on what happened by the old Willow tree, and I felt no need to recall it. I knew that no matter what happened, I would never belong here.

* * *

Before long I was being gently shaken awake by Mirlaic. Her eyes were merry, though slightly concerned. "Are you all right_ iell_? It's time for the harvest."

I nodded and quickly slipped into a faded brown work dress. We ate hurriedly, then started out for our field. Elves are not natural farmers and rely on mostly hunting for food. But corn helps during the winter months so they picked it up over the last few thousand years or so. One field was allotted to everyone in the village. Depending on the size of the family would determine how many acres each would own. Mirlaic had about a half acre. But during the harvest, everyone helped each other get the labor done. After we had finished getting her wheat and corn, we would help other family's harvest their own crops. The work was hard, but the reward was much greater. Knowing you grew and harvested your own food for the winter. Not to mention the festival that would take place tomorrow afternoon. I didn't see Faerlain in the morning, I was too busy helping Mirlaic pick out corn and shear our wheat. The Elves might be at times arrogant, but they did know how to work together in peace.

After we had the noon time meal, we helped Alphril out with her field, which was larger then ours. To my horror I had to work side by side with Faerlain for almost three hours. But it didn't hurt as much as I had thought. Soon we were laughing together as though nothing had ever happened between us. With everyone helping each other, we soon finished the harvest and Alphril invited Mirlaic and I to her flet for the evening meal. Faerlain and I talked all night and I was pleased to say, our conversation was all in Sindarin. I still had to speak slowly, but I was getting the hang of it. Throughout the day I found that I couldn't look into his eyes without hurriedly looking away, he had been watching me as well. Sometimes I longed to embrace him as we had done before. But I couldn't. By the end of the say I was exhausted, but still loathe to say farewell to him. It was Mirlaic in the end who had to drag me away.

Now I had only to wait for the breath of a new day to see him once more.

* * *

We husked corn and packed it all day so when it finally came time for the autumn festival, I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to stay awake.

"Now you must get dressed for the festival. Tonight is for you, not an old badger like me. There will be dances all night long."

I smiled and hugged Mirlaic. "How can you be old? You're the immortal one remember?"

"Ah, and in you being mortal, you are young. Tonight is for you."

My hand flew up to my mouth in shock as I recalled something, "Mirlaic, the dresses! I've forgotten all about them!"

"I know you did." she said simply. "I did not expect you to finish them." Through this speech she had been fighting back a smile from appearing on her kind face, but now the corners of her mouth creased with mirth. "So I finished them for you. Your head was in the clouds all month. Don't think I haven't noticed, and do not assume age has dulled my ears. Elves have excellent hearing you know."

Slowly I shut my mouth, narrowing my eyes. Just how much did she _really_ know?

"Well, would you like to see your new dresses?"

I nodded and she took my hand and led me to my room. Laying on the bed was a beautiful dress. Light brown and a soft green. I saw no trace of my unsteady hand or my uneven stitches. Leaves were embroidered into the long sleeves which drooped into a point on my hand. "It's beautiful Mirlaic." I said.

"Well you should have told me that you do not know how to sew. It took me days to correct those stitches."

I didn't know what to say.

"Try it on Victoria, don't stand there gaping."

So I did, I pulled my soiled work dress off as quickly as I could. Sliding the new one over my head, it fitted to my body like a soft blanket. I twirled, watching the folds of the material swirl about me like flower petals. All my tom-boyishness disappearing completely in that moment. My eyes shined with excitement as I looked back at her. "I love it Mirlaic."

"You needed something for the festival tonight." she said softly, caressing my cheek. Then a mischievous gleam entered her eyes. "Lets fix your hair. And we can show those Elflings how human girls _really_ clean up."

* * *

The Autumn festival was held in the center of the village under the tallest Star Flower Tree. The Elves from the surrounding villages came as well, bringing the profit from their own fields. It had been a bountiful year. Everyone gathered to feast and dance well into the night. The Elven maids swirling gracefully in the sunlight, the handsome Elven boys sometimes watching, sometimes dancing with them. Even though I tried hard not to like the Elves, I found I just couldn't help it that night. They were all so friendly, and I couldn't help wishing that I too was standing with the other young girls giggling, wondering if anyone would see _me_. And say to themselves, what a beautiful girl. For the first time I didn't feel like such an outcast. Like maybe, I wasn't so different after all.

As soon as the final meal was served, Mirlaic shooed me away to the dances. My hair was arranged so that it fell softly on my shoulders, with a crown on leaves woven through my hair, courtesy of Mirlaic of course. The sun had started to set, so in the center of town there was a huge bon fire. From every horse and tree in the village, colorful lanterns glowed brightly in the coming dark. The Elves danced gracefully around it, doing difficult jigs and reels. I found myself clapping and laughing as I watched the others dance along the sidelines, standing with the other Elves as they watched the younger ones in the firelight. A few elves talked to me, but none asked for a dance. But as I watched their feet fly and the orange flames licking the darkness, one did.

Someone tapped my shoulder, "Enjoying the dancing Victoria?"

"I would have never guessed that Elves could dance so well Faerlain." I replied teasingly.

"Ha ha."

The music ad slowed, and the mood had changed. It was like the slow dances at your high school prom. Where, if you were lucky enough, you would rest your head on Mr. Right's shoulder and sway with the music while your heart raced wildly. I hadn't been lucky, I had served snacks and punch all night long.

"Shall we dance?"

I smiled and shook my head. "I don't know how."

"It's simple, I'll show you."

Before I could protest he had led me further into the throng of dancers. "Now put your hand on my shoulder...yes like that...and my hand goes here at your waist...(my insides quivered when he did that) and I hold your other. Not just follow me." He began to move slowly, his body swaying with the music as a tree sways in the breeze. It was like I had strayed into a dream, I could feel the heat from the fire. But the music was like the earth, it just became one, and I swayed with Faerlain and he pulled me closer. I can't remember much of what happened next at all, only that the music became faster. And he began to lead in into a fast jig, similar to Irish tap dancing.

Then his face was gone, and I was swept into a new partner's arms. Again it happened, I had forgotten how much I liked to dance. I smiled and my heart pulsed with the beat. I switched partners again... and again...and again... all of them smiled and laughed with me. The Elves along the edges laughed. And then I was with Faerlain again, our bodies moved like shadows in the firelight. And by the time it was all over, we were laughing and breathless as we clapped and bowed our heads to the musicians as a sign of respect. Faerlain and I somehow found our way back to Mirlaic and Alphril, and after we said farewell, we parted. I shall never forget that night. For I think it was the only time me and Faerlain could toss who we were aside and just have fun.

And that night, I don't think either of us felt a pinch of pity for out situation. Not even once. We were just us. And that was better then anything in the entire world.

* * *

As my beta reader said, yes, I am a hopeless romantic. I know. Anyway, I am liking this story more and more. And I think you can all see that Victoria's heart is taking over her mind and reason. Feedback is appreciated!

Thanks to all who reviewed!

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Winter

Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Only my characters and my plot.

Author's Note:

If you haven't already found out, I've had MAJOR computer problems. Yes, my hard drive crashed. I'm very sad. I lost about 50 of my work, but thankfully the only bit of my fanfiction was missing. Actually, I only lost one chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to remember most of it.

* * *

Chapter Six 

Winter

Winter in Mirkwood is dreary as well as dangerous. It was a little before Christmas time and I found myself sorely missing the Christmas tree and decorations. I didn't quite know how to explain this holiday of mine to Mirlaic, so I didn't bother. It snows hard in Mirkwood and you can never stray far from the village for fear of getting lost or being attacked by the huge spiders that live in the forest. The spiders had seemed to become only more violent of late and were a reason of constant worry on everyone's mind. Including my own, I don't know how many nights I woke up in a cold sweat do to nightmares. Besides that, the orcs had started to invade the woods.

The young, male Elves from the surrounding villages were called to serve in the Mirkwood Army. Gilloth said farewell to at least twenty such Elves, and Faerlain was one of them. I couldn't go outside, unlike the Elves, I couldn't walk on the snow and it was already knee high and still coming down in a torrent of frenzy flakes. I gazed longingly out the window of Mirlaic's flet that faced the street. He was the highest ranking soldier, mostly because he had the most experience. I could say good-bye, only watch him leave. But before they disappeared from my sight, I saw him turn and look right at me. And he waved, smiling sadly. I waved back and wished to run out into the snow if only just to speak with him. But he was gone, and I never even knew if he had seen me wave back.

* * *

The snows stopped a week later and I trudged over to Alphril's flet with snow up to my knees. Mirlaic would need more bandages, frost bite continued to plague the Elves of the village. Mirlaic told me that though they did not fall ill often, they didn't seem to be able to escape frostbite that year. Mirlaic said it was the worst they had seen in nearly five hundred years! I had forgotten to wrap my lower legs and the snow clung to them, biting the warmth from my skin. By the time I reached Alphril's, I was shivering uncontrollably. 

"Victoria! You poor thing. Trudging over here without any leg wrappings? Now you come right in and sit by the fire."

I sank wearily into a large chair and she pulled off my wet cloak and draped a blanket over my shoulders.

"You can't be in your right mind child to come trancing about in the snow like this."

"MMMirliac nnneeds sssome bbbbandages." My teeth were chattering.

"Varda is that all? I'll get them right away." Alphril rushed off to meet my request while I gazed around her flet. I hadn't been there since Mirlaic had sent me off for fabric. My teeth continued to chatter until I finally started to warm up. It was then I saw a little girl hiding behind the chair opposite of me. She dashed behind it once more when she saw me looking.

I had never been particularly fond of kids, it hadn't been my specialty. But this little thing made me want to laugh as she darted and snuck peeks at me like a little mouse. "Hello." I said politely. I saw two bright green orbs peek back at me. Hidden in locks of long, blonde hair. She ducked behind the chair again, not answering so I spoke again, this time in Sindarin. -You're a pretty thing aren't you?-

The two eyes appeared, this time I saw also the tips of her pointed ears. -What's your name?- I felt much warmer now, but she still didn't answer, disappearing behind the chair again. -Well, if you won't tell me then I shall call you Mouse.- Still no reply. -My name is Victoria. Would you like to hear a story Mouse?- Her large eyes stared back at me in wonder and then she finally nodded. I racked my brain, it was my challenge. I wanted to get Mouse to speak. So I searched for a really good story, one I had always liked till finally I decided upon Cinderella. -Once upon a time...- By the time I got to the part with the fairy godmother, her face had changed completely. And when Cinderella danced with the prince she was sitting on the chair itself.

She was dressed plainly, a dark brown smock with black leg wrappings and a tan scarf around her neck. Her eyes were wide, the fire shining brightly in them as I told her the story. -And she and the prince lived happily ever after.-

I stopped, waiting for her reaction, when I received none added, "The end." slipping back into English, or the common tongue as it's called around here. And for a moment I wondered if I had gotten my Sindarin accent right when suddenly she blurted out.

"Does happily ever after mean they got married and lived together forever?" she also spoke in the common tongue which surprised me greatly.

"Yes."

"And they were very happy?"

I nodded.

She relaxed into the chair and sighed, "It was a good story."

I smiled. "I'm glad you like it mouse. By the way, that's not your name is it?"

A shadow of a smile passed quickly over her face. "My name is Ana." She replied.

"That's a lovely name, one of my favorites."

"Your human aren't you?" She was staring at me again.

I nodded.

"Your only the second I've seen before."

"Oh? Who was the first?"

"Strider."

The name came again to my mind, the man who had saved me and brought me here. "Really?"

"Yes." her eyes were bright and her voice eager. "He came with Prince Legolas for the Star Flower, and they visited Alphril. I liked them."

"Do you like me?"

She paused, thinking. Geez, I hope the wait didn't mean something bad. "I think so. I liked your story."

"So what does that mean? That you liked me or my story?"

She thought again. "I like you." Then she looked down and blushed. "Your very pretty."

"Thanks, not many people do. But I think your much prettier." I said smiling.

She didn't seem to comprehend my last comment. She shook her head vigorously. "I think a lot of them do, especially Faerlain."

Now I was the one blushing. "How do you know him?"

She shrugged, "My brother and him are soldiers together." Then she smiled, it was small but it likewise illuminated her small face. "He likes you."

"Well, well, well." Both of us turned to look at who had spoke and saw Alphril standing in the doorway. "Victoria I never would have dreamed that you could get little Ana to talk with you. She's as quiet as a mouse."

I grinned as she walked towards us. Alphril walked over to use and rubbed Ana's back. The little Elfling smiled and glanced shyly at me. "Victoria tells good stories."

"She does now does she?"

Alphril looked at me in an amused way. "Go fetch a box for Victoria will you _iell_?" (Little one or daughter)

The Elfling nodded and dashed off as I rose to my feet. "You have amazed me Victoria."

"Why?"

"Ana has not spoken since her brother went away. Her parents died in an orc attack long years ago and he takes care of her when she's home. She was heartbroken when he left and refused to speak with anyone. She'd come here once in a while to help me with the store. But that was about it."

"I guess Cinderella cheered her up a bit."

"Who?"

"It was the story I told her."

Alphril chuckled as Ana came back.

"If it cheers this little one up, I think I should like to hear that story as well."

Ana came scurrying back into the room. "Here Alphril."

"Thank you Ana. I was just telling Victoria how you like to help me while your brother is gone." She nodded and then looked up at me.

"Will you tell me another story Victoria?"

"Maybe another time Ana, Mirlaic is waiting for me. But you can visit me any time and I shall tell you a story."

She smiled, "Thank you."

I took the package of bandages Alphril handed me and pulled on my cloak, now much drier. "See you later Alphril."

"Namarie Victoria, and please, next time wrap your legs!"

* * *

"Cinderella aye?" Mirlaic was smiling as I told her about what had happened at Alphril's flet. "I know Ana and her brother. I should, I helped to bring both of them into this world. Their mother was such a young, sweet thing." 

"Wow, that's great Mirlaic, make me feel even younger then I already do."

"Well, Ana is nearly twenty times your age." She threw back her head and laughed. "If it makes you feel any better _iell_, I was only about 14 in mortal years."

* * *

Mirlaic was attending to an injured arm the next morning while I prepared for out noon time meal. I had just started to cook some meat when I heard a small tap at the front door. I walked over, wiping my hands on my apron.And was met at the door by two small figures, I shivered at the bout of cold that flew at me through the open door...the two figures only smiled. 

"Victoria?"

"Ana? What on earth are you doing here? And in this storm...who's your friend?"

"We're not cold Victoria."

"No." I grumbled, "Of course not."

Ana didn't catch my grumble, she smiled up at me and said,"This is Linda, I told her about Cinderella and we wanted to know if maybe you'd tell us another story?"

I looked at her, then at Linda and slowly smiled. "I'd love too.But lets come inside first. You may not be cold, but I sure am!What kind of story do you want?" I asked them as I ushered them before our fire.

"Are there anymore with handsome princes?" asked Linda, she had a high voice and it sort of squeaked when she talked, her eyes were bright and starry-eyed.

"Yes...I think I know another one that you might enjoy."

That afternoon, they weaseled all of Snow White _and _Sleeping Beauty out of me too.

* * *

Over the long winter months, many Elf children appeared at my door. Shivering slightly with cold and begging for a story. By January, I had used up every single fairy tale I knew, and had to rely on movies. When I wasn't telling stories, Mirlaic was training me how to heal and helping me refine my Elvish. With January came the new year, (Not that it mattered, for time itself mattered little to these people.) and most days I had a number of Elflings sitting at my feet while Mirlaic visited with their mothers or healing an ailment of some kind. Elves rarely become sick, but once in a while something would come up.

To my surprise, I made another friend, Elenowen. She was Ana's brother's, Cudir's, wife. Elenowen had become pregnant heavily since Cudir had been away, and her time was close. It would be in the first baby to be born in over one thousand years. And in being so, the day was awaited by the whole village with great anticipation. I made a point of visiting her nearly every day, and when I did not come she was at our flet. Talking to Mirlaic about childbirth. It would be her first child, and she was nervous. Elenowen was a dark haired Elf, like Ana, except her eyes were clear grey.

I was trudging through the snow to Alphril's flet one morning over the next weeks. The snow was clear, and if the sun had been out, it would have blinded me. A cold wind was blowing through the trees, and I pulled my winter cloak tighter about my shoulders as I crossed the bare streets. The storm seemed not only to kill the plants and trees, but also much if not all of the social gatherings in the village. I was almost at Alphril's when I heard light footsteps coming up behind me. It was Ana, and she was running.

"Victoria! Victoria!" she stopped in front of me and glanced down at my feet. "You can't walk on snow?" She shook her head, "I guess not." Ana's eyes widened with fear and she looked back up into my face. Her ears were red from the cold and snow flakes whirled from her dark locks as she shook her head again. "Elenowen says her time is near, you must come quickly!"

Now my eyes widened, "I don't know anything about babies Ana!"

"Surely Mirlac has taught you something?"

"A little but..."

"I little is enough! I will get Mirlaic, but please go to her!" Ana's large eyes were gazing intently into mine, I could see her fear, her nervousness. I lock my jaw, my resolve hardening into determination.

"All right, but go. Quickly!" she darted off into the hazy streets, her footsteps didn't even make the faintest tracks on the snow. I whirled and bounded towards Elenowen's house. My heart was pounding fiercely against my chest, and I as neared I began to feel light-headed. Even if I got there in time, would I be able to do anything? The snow was up to my knees and I had to lift my legs high in order to run. I leaped, my muscles straining with the effort. By the time I reached her door, my lungs were heaving for air and my legs were shaking, threatening to collapse. I opened the door to her flet, and stumbled inside. I leaned against the wall to catch my breath and then slowly walked inside. I couldn't hear anything at first as I pealed off my soaked cloak and closed the door behind me.

"Elenowen?" No one answered, I called again. Finally I heard moaning, coming from a room in the back of the flet. I ran and found Elenowen laying on her bed. Her face was twisted in pain, her hands clutching the bed tightly as I knelt at her side. "Elenowen!"

"Victoria! Is that you?" she whispered weakly.

"Yes, it's me." I took her hand and squeezed it.

"I'm so frightened Victoria...I'm afraid I'll die."

"You'll do no such thing. You'll be fine."

"Where're Mirlaic?"

"On her way. Don't worry. I know exactly what to do." It was my biggest lie, and I could only pray everything would be all right.

* * *

I can hardly remember what happened all day. I felt light-headed and so nervous that I felt like I might die. But after it all, and this part I remember very well, was cradling a small baby girl in my arms. Just as Mirlaic rushed in the door.

* * *

News of the baby's birth spread like wildfire. And so had the fact that Elenowen had named her Turwethiel, which is the Elvish version of my name. The little thing had dark hair, just like her mother's, and the clearest blue eyes I had ever seen. Elenowen said they were from Cudir, her father. Slowly as the snows lessened, news of my part in Turwethiel's birth spread as well as the Elves started to socialize again in the streets. As first they weren't quite sure what to think of me. To praise my bravery, or to be appalled that one of their own had been delivered by a mortal. I hardly listened to the gossip, and nearly every day went to see Elenowen. I held baby Turwethiel in my arms, whispering her English name to her when no one was looking. I loved the way her tiny hands would grasp around my large, rough fingers. I loved to caress her dark locks, which unlike her mother's, were slightly curly. 

"If it weren't for you, you know, I don't think I would have made it." Elenowen said a week later as I kissed Turwethiel's hand while Elenowen sat down to rest. I blushed,

"Don't be silly, you did all the work."

She was still weak, the birth had been difficult for her, and she was sitting in a large, cushioned chair. "No, I was close to giving up. If you hadn't been there...I don't know what would have happened."

I didn't answer. Some things just don't have answers. Besides, sometimes I didn't know what to think at all. Because if I thought to hard... all my thoughts eventually led to Faerlain one way or another.

"How's Talorta?"

"He's a little stir crazy because of the snow. But he's made some friends, and doesn't seem to mind TOO much."

Elenowen nodded, "He is a beautiful animal Victoria. I think he is one of your greatest friends... no?"

I smiled as I laid Turwethiel in her bed. That was a fact known without words. Talorta was why I was here, I had given everything for him. And he had given everything for me. We were bonded forever now. "Yes. He is."

I stretched my back as I straightened up again and glanced outside the windows. It was snowing harder now. Much harder then it had before. Strange. "It's getting worse out there." I said, voicing my thoughts.

Yes, our winters are always hard.- She replied, conversing now in Sindarin.

I reached for my cloak and threw it over my shoulders. -I should go.-

Will you be able to find your way?-

I nodded and she took my hand, "Thank you Victoria, you are a true friend." lapsing back into the Common tongue.

I smiled, -So are you.- I answered in her own language.

"Will you come again soon?"

I paused to think, "Yes. Tomorrow morning. Early, and then you can help me with my letters." I was learning Tenquar script now.

"I'm no scholar, but I'll do what I can." She smiled at me and squeezed my hand before releasing it. I braced myself for the cold and threw the door open, trudging into the rapidly filling streets.

* * *

That's it. Don't you just love that name? Turwethiel? For anyone who cares I got it from the Elvish section on: w w w . a r w e n - u n d o m i e l . c o m:Great LotR website, one of my favorites. And for all you LotR junkies, it has a number of EE trailers. Anyway, on to the next chapter! 

5505 **NOTE**, thanks to Leo Cole forpointing out to me that Elves are not affected at all (or easily for that matter)by the cold.

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. The Forest

Disclaimer: I do not pretend to own anything of the masterpiece created by Tolkien, I only wish to honor him by my own little creations for his fellow devoted fans. :)

Author's Note:

This chapter won't be up until my Dad get's our internet service back. But I think you can tell by all these updates that I've been busy with my spare computer time. :) Anyway, Safe in My Arms is working away rapidly, and I've gotten over my writer's block for all, and I quote, all my stories! Even my pirates sequel will progress. And let me assure you, not all my new ideas will be good on your part. (Cackled wildly) MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (Don't you just love that laugh?)

* * *

Chapter Seven

The Forest

Even in the hard snows, the young elves were out. They were obnoxious teens, not very different from the human ones I had back home. But they possessed a grace that other mortals I had lived my life with, did not have. They ran gracefully back and forth across the snow, flakes dancing about their heads. To say the least... I had little affection for them. (That's putting it nicely. See what living with Elves does to ya? Truth be told, I hated their bloody guts.) I tried to pass quickly, (trudging past is more like it) but the snow which was deepening by the minute was already up and starting to pass my knees. They caught sight of me and grinned, and about five of them ran over. Bounding across the sea of white like deer on a grassy plain. Effortless.

-Aye Victoria!- said one in Sindarin.

-Can't you understand us?- said another teasingly in the same tongue.

I smiled smugly, -Obviously if teasing me about my lack of knowledge on this subject is all you've got on me, I'd suggest you find someone else to vex.- My speech didn't effect them in the least. They all laughed.

"All the more fun." said another, lapsing back into the Common tongue. The glowered down at me wickedly. "Want to go for a walk Victoria?"

"No, I should think not. You seem to be in it deep enough already." Said another, this was followed by another chorus of laughs. Irritated, I again tried to push through their ranks but they held me back. I scowled.

"Come on Victoria." one of them grabbed my arm and yanked it painfully. My anger flared as the snow began to fall harder. I shoved hard against their leader and he fell back into the snow. His bottom sinking in it's cold depths. The others laughed, but he looked furious, he leaped to his feet, then shoving my back in return. I sank into the snow, not half as gracefully as he. The cold dampening my clothes and chilling me to the bone. I tried to get back up when the snowballs started to fly. Many felt like they were made from ice, and each hit my body painfully, knocking the air from my lungs at the searing feeling of both pain and cold. Now some were beginning to hit me straight in the face, slicing it.

"Come on Victoria! So tough now?" I could hear a few of them trying to get their leader to stop. But he wasn't listening. And the snow and ice still flew. I tried to raise my arms as a shield, but they were hitting me too hard. Tears sprung in my eyes, my body was numb. The snow suddenly stopped and I struggled to stand. Two of them helped me up, worry in their eyes and when something warm trickled into my mouth, I realized my forehead was bleeding, just above my temple. The two who had helped me stand looked concerned, and the others were holding back the one who had beat me to a bloody pulp with his bloody ice-balls.

"Are you ok?"

I jerked my arm away, "What did I ever do to you?" I hissed, glaring at them. "Orc swine." I hissed, spat in the snow.

The leader's face turned crimson but the others looked ashamed. That's elven courtesy for you. "You are mortal." he spat the word out as if it tasted back in his mouth. "You amount to nothing you worthless wrench." The others tried to shut him up. Surprise, it didn't work. "You will never belong here. You think you have friends? Ha! Go back where you belong human. There is not place for you here."

I wanted to say something nasty in reply, but tears had started to fall down more heavily down my cheeks. I turned and fled through the snow to the forest. Some of the elves called my name, bidding me to come back. But the leader only shouted, "Go! No one wants you here! Tis better to die in the forests."

And no matter how much I forced myself to believe his words were lies, they had struck home. I felt pain as they slowly sunk in, unlike anything I had felt since I left home. I put my head down like a horse pulling a heavy burden and ran fast as I could...

Straight into the forest.

* * *

I shoved my way through the trees until the voices from the village were only an echo on the breeze. My head throbbed, blood running down my cheek. I felt suddenly light-headed and I sank to the ground beside a tree. Too much blood. I cried. The cold bit my skin, my clothes were drenched. But I now couldn't find the strength to stand. Still it snowed, and it seemed so deathly quiet. I sobbed until I could hold no more tears. Which isn't true, they had begun to freeze on my face as night settled. A strange calmness took hold of me, I felt so tired. How long had I been out here? Questions... endless questions swirled in my mind.

"Mirlaic..." I whispered, wishing my faint call would somehow bring her to me. Desperately wishing that she would appear through the trees to take me home. But she didn't. _But it isn't your home. You have no home. _The young elf's cruel words echoed again in my mind. Now the sky was darkening at a fast rate, my eyelids felt so heavy. I could hardly even feel the cold now. Was the good or bad? I can't sleep... not here... not now... but my body wasn't listening to me. It was going into a type of shut down. I laid my hands on the snow, resting my head upon them. And before I fell asleep, I remember feeling so content, not frightened at all. The snow flaked whirled, like in the _Nutcracker Ballet_. The fairies sparkling in the fading sun. Can't stay awake....

And that was all.

* * *

"Mirlaic, where's Victoria?" asked Elenowen as she entered the Healer's flet. The old elf's face was lined with worry.

"I don't know. She never came home last night." Mirlaic's face was pale. Both she-elf's gazed out the window, the land was covered in another layer of thick snow.

"I'm worried about her, no human could survive a night out there." Mirlaic said quietly.

"But she's not. She'll come home." Elenowen replied firmly. "She'll be fine." She nodded her head to confirm her beliefs. But the fear and doubt churning in her stomach didn't settle. "She has to be."

* * *

I blinked, I felt so warm. I smiled, I could hear Talorta grazing in the paddock, his hooves stomping the ground in an effort to get the flies away. The sun beat warmly upon my face. Someone was shaking me, I didn't want to move. It was so lovely here. I never wanted to wake up. If it was a dream, let it so remain.

"_Victoria_." It was whispered on the wind, my name. I opened my eyes, and there was Zach. He was smiling, his eyes bright. Not lifeless and staring at some unseen object. His hair shining in the sun like in that TV show, _Touched By an Angel_. Whenever Monica tells someone she's an angel, her whole being is bathed in this warm, heavenly light. That's what Zach looked like now. His neck wasn't twisted funny, his chest rose and fell. "I missed you." I murmured. He smiled again ad shook his head,

"I've missed you too." He lay down beside me and pulled me closer to him. Like when I was little and he'd hold me until my nightmares had faded away. He felt so alive. But I felt so cold. "_Wake up Victoria. Wake up." _He faded, his face was suddenly gone, and the snow was biting me again. Someone shook my shoulder, everything burned, but at the same time, I couldn't feel anything at all. How can that be?

"Mirlaic?" I whispered, begging for it to be her. No more dreams. "_Zach_..."

"No. Please wake." came another voice. A strange distant voice. I tried to pull my body out of the sleep that had taken it. But the rude awakening hadn't suited it, and it refused as if it had a mind of it's own. An icy cold had felt my forehead. "You burn with fever. Where do you come from?" Came the voice again.

Everything was clouded, I couldn't think straight. "Gilloth."

The voice didn't reply, but I was vaguely aware of moving. The owner of the voice was moving me. It's arm over my shoulder, dragging my forward. My legs stumbled, protesting at the added strain. Every part of me throbbed, and I could feel myself slipping away.

"Stay awake." it warned.

But it was so hard, I wanted to beg it to leave me be. When it suddenly stopped, pain enabled me to be awake enough to open my eyes. It was a girl, actually an elf. But who cared? It took too much energy to think on such matters. More pain, it was beginning to intensify.

"Leave me." I whispered. "Make it stop." My vision was blurred, so I couldn't see her very well. And I felt too weak and sick to try.

"Do not fall back asleep." She said again.

"Keep talking." I whispered as we moved on.

"Foolish mortal." she muttered.

All I could mostly see was long, dark hair, reaching towards the end of her back which was concealed by a large coat. I figured the only way I would be able to stay awake was if I had some sort of diversion... something else to concentrate on. My body rebelled again against my mind's demands. It was snowing harder now... if that were possible. I started to shiver uncontrollably.

"We're almost there." She said.

But I couldn't take it anymore. I could feel the snowflakes melting on my skin. I collapsed, my mind could no longer rouse my body to move. I couldn't do it. I heard shouts and footsteps crunching on the snow. But I couldn't.... I had given up. It was too hard. The snow seemed to swallow me whole. And I fell into the most deep and wonderful sleep I have even known. It was the best I could ever remember.

And the pain was gone.

* * *

Cliffy!! Don't you just love them? Be prepared for an update shortly! :)

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED...


	8. Fever

Disclaimer: Though I am immensely fond of Tolkien's work, (Biggest understatement I have ever made) I would never stoop so low as to claim them as my own.

**Author's Note:**

Another chapter, and another day with my internet. (Sigh) You really don't know how much you miss it until you lose it. My dad said he'd fix it soon, so I pray to God that soon means sometime this week. In the meantime, Happy Reading!

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

** Fever**

* * *

When I awoke again, I felt no better. In fact, I felt worse. My limbs burned with a passion and everywhere was hot. I groaned and cried, but it didn't stop. "Victoria, please. You must warm up." Warm up? I was burning with heat! I wanted to be tossed out into the snow just then. Anything to make it stop! I couldn't move, couldn't see. Fire everywhere. My body was drenched in sweat and I couldn't stop shaking. I was out of control. Something cold touched my forehead, but it too burned like ice that's too cold. Then someone else was brushing my hair back.

"Shhhh Victoria. It's all right _iel_." The voice was familiar, and though I couldn't open my eyes I knew who it was.

"Mirlaic." I croaked, the words wouldn't come out right. My throat burned.

"Yes child, I'm here. Your going to be fine." Her voice was distant, like reality fading into a dream. She brought a cup to my lips and helped me to drink. Cold water rushed into my parched throat, it tasted wonderful. "That's better isn't it?" came her dream like voice again. I wanted to hug her, she was so good to me. But my arms lay weak and lifeless at my sides. And the pain had flared back into my small awareness. Everything was growing fuzzy, I couldn't think straight. My eyelids too heavy to open. She began to sing softly, I couldn't understand the words. They were different then Sindarin. No... it hurt to much to think. So I listened to the sweetest melody that I had ever heard, like rain dripping through spring leaves, water rippling through the stream. Wind through grassy plains, waves crashing gently on the shore. And I fell back asleep.

* * *

When I awoke again, I didn't feel so hot. But now my heart ached with each burst of pain. And for the first time in nearly a year, I wished reverently for my mother. Someone was holding my hand as I slowly fought to open my eyes. They widened, 

"Hello Victoria."

"Faerlain?" I whispered in astonishment, my throat hurt and it was a struggle to say anything at all.

He smiled and pressed a finger to my lips, "Don't speak. I'll talk for you." His hand moved to my brow and he gently caressed my face. I smiled weakly in return, though I didn't stir from the blankets that seemed to encase me in their warmth. I watched him, and he watched me before he finally spoke.

"You're probably wondering why I am here." That was a good guess. He'd only been away for how long...? "My company had to pass through this area so I asked my commander if I could spend a day here. I come only to find my best friend so ill." If I could of shrugged, I would have. Everything seemed too confusing. He talked all day, I didn't say anything at all, obeying his wish. I was too tired anyway, it was draining me just to stay awake and alert. I couldn't remember most of what he said. All I was aware of was his eyes. His beautiful eyes. In what seemed like minutes, thought I knew to be hours, he said he had to go. And told me to sleep, and look on my table. Then he kissed my feverish forehead, and he was gone.

I couldn't tell later if it had only been a dream or not when Mirlaic came in and helped me to eat some broth. I was too weak to even hold the spoon. It wasn't until the next morning after I had slept again that I found a letter, and I knew it had been real.

"Rest now iell, you are still very ill." Mirlaic said. It still hurt to talk, so I could only nod as she propped my pillows up behind me so I could sit up a little. I felt so weak, but I knew I would get better. I had to. After she had gone I looked at the table by the bed and picked up the letter I found there. I unfolded it, breaking the wax seal so I could read it's contents. It was many pages in length, maybe five or six. And at the top written in Faerlain's neat Tenqwar, _The Tale of Luthien and Beren : The Story of two lovers, an Elf and a Mortal._

* * *

I was in tears and exhausted by the end of the letter. What was he trying to tell me? I sank against the pillows and was asleep once more before Mirlaic could tuck me in.

* * *

The days passed slowly in a confusion of dreams and painful awakenings. Sometimes I would see Faerlain by my side, only to awake and find it had only been a dream. Now it was becoming harder and harder to determine what was real, and what was only a dream. About three days later I had another visitor, I was reading and rereading Faerlain's letter and was at the point where you start to read sentences over and over again. I was reading and rereading Faerlain's letter and was at the point where you start to read sentences over and over again. I was reading and rereading Faerlain's letter and was at the point where you start to read sentences over and over again,(1)(see bottom of chapter) when Mirlaic knocked on my door causing me to look up. 

She smiled warmly, but I could still see worry written on her face. She hadn't spoken much since I had started to get better, and as time progressed I wondered what was wrong. I had no time to think on that however. I was still weak and it hurt to move or talk to much. But I felt much better then I had earlier.

"Iell, there's someone here to see you." She ushered a tall Elf in, her hair was long and dark brown. She had bright green eyes and she seemed strangely familiar. Then it clicked.

"You're the one who found me in the forest." I exclaimed in surprise.

She nodded and smiled.

"Victoria, this is Araviniel. She wanted to see you." Mirlaic said, then saying something to Araviniel after which I couldn't hear. Then she glanced swiftly at me and closed the door. Araviniel stood there for a moment, staring at me with her green eyes.

"This is sort of awkward." She said finally. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drop in on you like this."

I shook my head and gestured to a chair near to my bed. "Want a seat? It's no trouble at all."

She took it and settled in it after nodding to my reply. "I wanted to make sure you were all right."

"Thanks to you I'm doing much better." I said.

"What were you doing in the forest anyway?" She asked curiously. Unlike many of the other Elves I had seen, Araviniel did not have the same haughty and wise look. She looked alive and calm. Like anyone you would see in my own world. And I liked her. Now she smiled, "I heard mortals were slightly foolish, but that was suicidal."

I flushed a deep shade of red, "I got lost."

"Oh."

But I knew from the way she was eyeing the bandage around my forehead that she didn't quite believe me.

"Mirlaic was telling me about you. Do you like Gilloth?" She asked after a brief period of silence.

"Yes... What brought you here Araviniel?"

"I was visiting family in the village. I've been away for a long time. I had lived in the palace for years now. And well, I'm out of the job. So I came back home."

I looked at her curiously, "You don't look that old for an Elf." It was a rude comment, but she didn't seem to notice and I had no time to blush over my comment.

"It's because I'm not. I would be about 18 if I was one of your kind." She replied, her athletic figure relaxing in the chair.

"That explains it. I'm 19."

She smiled, again she reminded me of someone else. But I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Who's your family? Perhaps I know them?"

"You are both bold and rude human. But isn't all of your kind?"

"Just as you Elves are so polite." I retorted in jest, for I could see laughter in her eyes even though a deep frown decorated her face. She laughed,

"Touché. I was here to visit my mother, Alphril, the merchant's wife. My father passed on long ago to the Havens."

My eyes widened again, "So your brother is..."

"Faerlain." She interjected. "Do you know him?"

Know him? My mid was spinning at the mere mention of his name. Unknown emotions had begun to well up inside my chest. Now a real frown rested upon her lips, "Are you all right? You look ill."

I managed a weak smile and leaned against the pillows. I felt suddenly drained. I clutched Faerlain's letter tighter in my hands. "I know Faerlain." I said softly.

She looked at me with a funny expression and then reached out and felt my forehead. "You should get some rest." She said.

"I'm fine." I protested, though sleep was beginning to sound like a good idea, I didn't want her to go. Araviniel was the first person close to my age and I enjoyed talking with her. "Faerlain is a good man." I said sleepily. Oops, Elf. I meant Elf. She didn't catch it thought and had instead looked out the window.

"Yes, he is. I cannot wait to see him again."

Neither can I. Her gaze turned to me once more and she leaned on the bedside. "I have to go now. You should get some sleep."

"How would you know?" I grumbled.

"I make it my business to." She replied.

I closed my eyes, submitting to her order. That was the last thing I could remember.

* * *

"Araviniel is my apprentice you could say. She was a lady-in-waiting to the queen before she decided to become a healer." Mirlaic said as she spooned some broth into my mouth. My hands shook to much.

"What changed her plans?" I asked between spoonfuls.

"The Queen passed into the Havens. Alphril insisted she learned from me when she learned of her daughter's interest. The stubborn old coot." I grinned at the usage of one of my own words.

"Because you both look so old right Mirlaic?"

"Fresh tongue you have. And we may not look it, but sometimes you start to feel it inside. You know you really lived a long life."

I nodded, though I didn't quite understand. After I had finished with a full stomach and feeling very warm, I settled into the blankets with a contented sigh. Mirlaic picked up something from the floor. "What's this?" She held up Faerlain's letter, the paper was starting to wear from all the times I had read it.

"It was from Faerlain." I said as she handed it to me. I chewed my lower lip and looked up at her. "Mirlaic?"

"Yes iell?"

"Is the tale of Luthien and Beren a true story?"

She paused, turning to me with wide eyes. "Who told you about that?"

I gestured to the letter, "Faerlain."

She hesitated, glancing at the letter and then back into my face. She looked suddenly very sad and she nodded, "Yes. Did he tell you how the story ends iell?"

"What do you mean? They fall in love don't they?"

She shook her head, "I think the rest of that story should be told to you when Faerlain returns."

* * *

My fever came back that night, and I tossed and turned fitfully in my sleep. Dreams haunted me. Over and over I saw Zach die. It was in slow motion, my fearless brother on Talorta. The jump was all wrong, and Talorta ran right into it, crashing into the fence beside it.. Zach flying off and landing through it, his head twisting with a snap. I could hear my parent's cries as they ran to him. But I stood still, not doing anything. His eyes, I knew in a moment he was dead. They stared up to the sky. Unseeing. Lifeless. I stared. Just standing... watching his still body.

* * *

Mirlaic said later I had been very ill that night. That I was lucky to be alive. I knew something had changed in her, because she had experienced how fragile human life can be first hand. How death can take us so quickly. Now we were even. And I knew I had scared her to death.

* * *

(1) Don't know if anyone even got this part, with the sentences repeating over and over again. I thought it was funny! And I got it from the _Series of Unfortunate Events_. Good books... I only read the first one though. Oh well. Just so you all knew. 

Thanks to all who helped witht the spelling of : touché! I would have never learned how to spell it otherwise. :) I know it is highly unlikely that elves would be speaking French in Middle-earth, but hey, this is only a Fanfiction and it doesn't have to be perfect:)

Well that's all. Hope everyone likes it so far and didn't you love the bit with Faerlain? He's so dreamy... uh... I mean...yes. I told my mom that I didn't need to worry about guys because I make up my own in my stories. So as you can imagine, the only boys I'm in love with, are my fictional ones and the really hot actors out there. But hey, don't all girls like those hot actors:) Ha. Ha. Happy Thanksgiving to all you US people out there. :)

Thanks to Kiann, my beta. :)

Namarie,

Luthien


	9. Acceptance

Disclaimer: Me no own Tolkien's work.

Author's Note:

IT SNOWED! For a good hour it snowed today in New York, USA in the area where I live. It wasn't enough to make a thick covering, but it's not melting right away. That probably means we're going to have like a foot by Thanksgiving. I don't mind. I got a job and my boss (who lives next door) is letting me use his indoor arena all winter long so I can ride. :) YEAH!!! I don't hate winter anymore. :)

* * *

Chapter Nine

Acceptance

During the long weeks after my recovery, the snow and cold weather did not stop visitors from coming. Most to wish me well, others to congratulate me on helping Elenowen with Turwethiel's birth. And I saw something new in their ageless eyes, a kind of acceptance. I guess they were finally figuring out that perhaps mortals weren't so bad after all. ( It took them long enough. ) I learned something new as well, that Elves were not as perfect as they seemed by out-side appearances. In that respect, they weren't so different from me after all. The only true boundaries that remained were with the Elf boy who had pushed me into the snow all those weeks ago. Who's name I found out to be Celebas. But now only he ignored me, and most of the villagers were kind. At first it took everything in me just to sit up and do simple tasks like eating or writing. But as the days wore on, my strength returned. And I could start to stand up, with support of course. Araviniel was at Mirlaic's flet nearly every day. Her studies had begun shortly after I had fallen ill, and I was now sort of a lab rat.

Mirlaic had her help me do things like walking, or dishing out medicine as I grew stronger so Araviniel could help and learn through a hands on experience. I didn't mind, Araviniel's company was refreshing and full of laughter. During this time, Araviniel became my closest friend. And by the time I could walk on my own again, we were always laughing and exchanging secrets. One particular day, it was snowing again, and she was sitting on my bed while I brushed my hair. It would be the first time I had really done things on my own for nearly a month.

"Tell me something about Faerlain, Araviniel." I said as I stroked my hair.

She smiled as she looked up at me. "You like him." It was not a question, but a fact she was merely stating.

I blushed and answered "Yes." anyway. "Very much so."

She laughed a crystal clear laugh and then sat down on the edge of the bed and gestured for me to sit next to her. "There is so much I could tell you. Let me think for a moment...Ah... there was this one time when I was young, only seven or eight by mortal years. We went exploring in the forest and he was telling me about the great battles in the east during the Elder days."

"How old was he?"

"Twelve I think, mortal years of course. And we fancied ourselves great warriors fighting alongside Gil-Galad, the leader of the Elven armies. Faerlain looked at me suddenly and said, 'Do you want to fight the Dark Lord?' I said no and that he should do it. That seemed to be exactly the answer he hoped for, he looked so happy." Araviniel chuckled softly, "What struck me as funny is that he asked me at all." She looked at me, smiling. "He was always like that. Asking just to be polite and hoping he'd get what he wanted in the end."

I grinned in return, "What about you Araviniel, whom do you fancy?"

"Promise you won't laugh?" The mirth had disappeared replaced by a serious expression.

"Pinky swear." The satisfaction that she was picking up my customs well passed through my mind as we hooked fingers.

"All right, it's the Prince."

My eyes widened, "Prince Legolas?" The last I had heard of him was in Mirlaic's story, then he had only been a baby.

"I met him when I was a lady-in-waiting to the queen. He is wonderful Victoria."

I elbowed her playfully, "Your head is in the clouds. He's probably some stuck-up pretty boy."

She glared at me, her lips curling into a pout. "Is not!" Now I laughed.

"Just kidding Araviniel. But you are rather ridiculous you know."

She grinned, "I know."

"I mean... a prince?"

She pushed me back and I slid onto the floor in a fit of giggles as we laughed together. Both of us dreaming of our knights in shining armor.

* * *

A week or so passed, I was myself once more. Up and about and tramping about the village. There were no footsteps besides mine, unless you counted the horses'. And the soft imprints in the snow of the Elves. Elenowen had recovered and was doing well. I visited her and baby Turwethiel often. The happiness in the village however, did not reflect upon the forest. Dark and gloomy as ever, Faerlain didn't come home again all the winter. The spiders retreated to their lairs, and no one dared to enter the forest with the knowledge that they were within somewhere, lurking. I started to take Talorta out for rides in the thick snow, stretching his legs which always pained him after his accident with Zach. The big horse was a sort of celebrity with the village children and we were met heartily wherever we went.

Talorta snorted with pleasure as we marched, (we meaning he) through the snow which was nearly past his knees. He tossed his mane and picked up a laborious trot. I saw no need to stop him, for he already knew to stay clear of the forest. He trotted to the center of the town where Ana and a few of her friends were playing. They looked up as we stopped and ran over in a flurry of flapping capes and flying feet.

"Hello Victoria!" shouted Ana, the little girl had brightened up considerably since Turwethiel's birth.

"Hello Ana. Hello everyone."

The Elflings, about five all together, waved shyly. "How's Talorta?" asked Ana.

"Happy. He's excited to be out after been cooped up inside for so long."

One of the other girls giggled as he pawed the snow, "He likes the snow." He showered it upon the Elflings and they laughed as they wiped it from their faces and clothes. I couldn't help myself, I mean, how can you resist a bunch of kids? "You guys want a ride?"

True to my expectations, they said yes. I gave rides for the better part of the day. It was tiring work, but exhilarating at the same time. Talorta whinned with pleasure as he tramped through the snow, carrying the light bodies of the Elf children around the village. And I saw a whole new look in their faces and in their eyes as well. Similar to the looks I had seen in the older Elves. And never once, not even once, did fear enter their bright eyes when they saw me.

* * *

Happy Chapter. Yes I do know how to write them. :)

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

My review box is looking empty...(Hint, hint. Cough, cough)


	10. Green Leaves

Chapter Ten

Green Leaves

Though it seemed like it would never end, as April came, the snow started to melt and signs of life once again entered the village. The Elves came alive as well with the coming of Spring. The leaves and grass. The leaves of Mirkwood burst as they once again covered the forest floor in darkness. The fields were re-sown, the flowers bloomed, the Star-Trees opened into new splendor. And with the return of Spring, came also with the homecoming of ones long missed.

* * *

I was sitting at Elenowen's table practicing my Tenqwar when I heard the knock at the door. Turwethiel started to cry, so I swooped her into my arms out of her cradle cooed to silence her cries.

"Can you get the door Victoria?" Elenowen called from the kitchen.

"Sure." I shouted back, I soothed Turwethiel's cries and I walked rapidly to the door. Hardly looking up as I opened it and found myself face to face with a stranger. I spoke mostly in Sindarin now, and I could speak it fluently. Well....almost fluently. I quieted Turwethiel's cries before I looked up to meet stranger. I had never seen him before in the village, he was garbed as a warrior, a bow slung across his back, a sword at his hip. He looked strangely weary for an Elf and his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Can I help you?" I asked him, peering closely into his face.

"Is this the home of Elenowen?"

"Yes." Then it hit me, his eyes, his face, even his movements were vaguely familiar. Now ir struck a bell. "You are Cudir, aren't you?"

He looked surprised, he mastered his emotions well, but his eye brows raised. He nodded, and I turned back into the house. "Elenowen!" I shouted. "It's Cudir! He's come home!"

I saw my friend's pale face emerge from the back room, she blinked once or twice before running to the doorway as fast as she could. She flung herself into his arms, and he twirled her around like a child. Elenowen was crying and laughing at the same time as she clutched to him tightly. Cudir kissed her cheek as he held her,

"I was so afraid when we received no word..." she sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder.

"It's all right. I'm here now." he soothed, smoothing her hair and smiling as he looked into her eyes. Elenowen broke their embrace, wiping her tears away and glancing at me apologetically then back at Cudir.

"I'm sorry. Come, come in. Before you freeze to death."

He chuckled a little and smiled at her, "That's sounds like an excellent idea."

Elenowen took his hand, leading him gently into the house and seating him on a large cushioned chair. I took a silent stance at her side and when Cudir was settled, I handed Turwethiel to Elenowen who mouthed 'thank you', before laying the sleeping Elf child in her father's arms. Cudir's eyes were wide as saucers, I wanted to laugh at the expression on his face which was one of both amazement and curiosity.

"I've been busy while you were away Cudir." She said, the musical tone in her voice was one I had not heard in a long time. I was still cold from standing in the doorway but I couldn't help but smile, though I felt out of place.

"This... is ours?"

"_She_ is Cudir." Elenowen said lightly, sitting beside him and leaning on his shoulder to look into Turwethiel's face. "Yes, she is ours."

His hands, slender and rough, traced the outline of her cheek. He smiled delightedly as she looked up at him with her deep blue eyes. Araviniel had once told me that elven children are born with green eyes, to represent new life. But Turwethiel's were clear and blue, like the sky. They mirrored Cudir's own which were just as clear and sharp as his daughter's. He gently rocked his baby girl in his muscular arms and sang softly, the sweetest melody I had ever heard in my life. I didn't understand the words, I leaned against the wall and hummed to the tune. What creations these Elves could make, it was a wonder. I felt the sense of intruding again, and I smiled once more at the two sitting side by side.

Then I gathered my cloak from its appointed place by the door. I slid on my warm, snow boots and quietly disappeared into the streets outside.

* * *

I was sitting on the bed in my room when the knock at the door sounded. It had actually been pounding for a long time, but I hadn't noticed. I had been dreaming, staring out the window at the snow flake that fell lightly on the groung below. It was Mirlaic who had jumped up in the end to answer it, soft exclamations being muttered under her breath. She then ushered someone in, and called my name. Her firm voice was enough to wake me from my fantasies, I had let my mind wander to Faerlain again. I found that often times... I just couldn't help it.

Sitting on a large chair in the main room, was Cudir. His tan face was tilted upward at Mirlaic and she was speaking softly to him. As my entrance, he rose and smiled warmly. "Victoria, you met Cudir, I am correct in assuming?" Mirlaic asked, glancing at first me, then as Cudir. I was wondering then if he was going to bow, he looked like he was going to. So I was slow to answer, and when I did, I stuttered slightly.

"Y..y...yes. I have. Yesterday, at Elenowen's."

"Ah, yes. I was just going to make some tea. He wished to speak with you for a moment."

I nodded as Mirlaic turned to the kitchen to make some tea. Then I glanced nervously at Cudir. I did not know him... at all. And besides that, I was not... well... I just wasn't good with people... or Elves. He smiled at me again and gestured to the chairs.

"Would you like to sit down?"

I blushed, managing a weak smile in return, "Oh. Yes."

We sat and I contented myself with just looking at him. After all, he was here to talk to me. He could start the conversation. He was remarkably handsome, I am beginning to think it's an Elf thing. He had a defined jaw, dark hair, and blue eyes that held a twinkle of laughter. He looked like he was ready to please, and he had an honest smile. (This was something I couldn't explain. If you see someone with an honest smile, you'd know. It all depends on your point of view.)

"I'm sorry for intruding on you like this Victoria." He began.

"No, it's all right. I wasn't doing anything...important." My cheeks reddened slightly as I thought briefly of Faerlain. Did he know what I was thinking about? Could he see?

He nodded and continued. "I wanted to thank you for all you have done for us, my wife and I."

"I did nothing." I protested, clasping my hands for they had nothing better to do.

"On the contrary, I heard that many things have begun to change since I've been away. All of which are rooted around you." He sat back in the chair, looking intently at me. "This village needed a change, we were beginning to be too far above others in our minds. I thank you for that as well."

I nodded. I mean, what are you suppose to say to that? Your welcome?

"I was all too happy to be home Victoria, especially to have my wife and a healthy daughter waiting for me on my return. The fighting has been fierce. The orcs and spiders seemed to join forces, if such a thing were possible. We never had a moment's rest." He paused, as if he only just remembered something. He blinked a few times, then adjusted his gaze to my eyes.

"You're the Victoria Faerlain spoke of, are you not?"

My heart lept at the sound of his name."You know Faerlain? Where is he?"

"The reserves haven't been disbanded as of yet. Yes, I know him. He'll be home in a month or two. By early summer at the very latest."

A month? Till summer? It seemed like an eternity. I hope he couldn't see how flustered I was.

"We were always close friends, served together throughout the winter. He asked me to give you hid greetings until he returns." I smiled wistfully. "I thought he exaggerated when he spoke of you." He grinned mischievously at me. "But I can see now that he spoke truth."

"What did he say?" I asked almost as once, my words were eager and my cheeks reddened slightly after I spoke them.

"Well, he said you were charming, polite, refreshing, fun, intriguing..." He paused, glancing at me with a twinkle in his eyes. "...beautiful."

I blushed a shade redder, if that were at all possible. I tried shrugging it off with a smile, "You're making fun of me."

"No. I'm not." In all of an instant, his hand was holding mine. "I know you little Victoria, however, I can see what even a mortal can do amongst the Elves. You are an amazing person."

"A young mortal Cudir, and I truly did nothing."

"What a personality too, you must be heartily missed where you come from."

The smile vanished from my face, I looked down. They probably didn't miss me at all, now that Talorta was gone my parents were probably relieved. It was then I noticed the silent tears that had crept onto my face. Cudir frowned, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean too..."

"No, it wasn't you." I said. I looked up and squeezed his hand, shrugging. "Unwanted memories. It's funny how things we wish so hard to forget come back so suddenly... and painfully."

He nodded, "I know the feeling." His eyes met mine once more and then he stood. "I should be going. I just wanted to say thank you for all you have done here." I had no words to say, no comment to shrug off his praise. For frankly, I found it hard to believe his words at all.

* * *

Ana became the most cheerful girl I ever knew after her brother's return. She no longer had need for my stories of castles and knights is shining armor. It was approaching spring once more, and the Star Trees of Gilloth were peeping out of their deep slumber as May arrived. Elenowen was happy as I had ever seen her, and it seemed that I was not really needed there anymore. Though I was never forgotten in Gilloth, I preferred to live quietly in the background and in the shadows of what went on in the village.

Araviniel and Talorta were my closest friends, and as I looked back, I wondered where the stubborn and slightly wild girl I had been had gone. It was like I had evaporated into thin air. Thought sometimes I regretted my change, I accepted this new life as best I could. For I was rapidly approaching 21, and I was no longer a clumsy teen. Araviniel was a skilled and quick leaner and soon she could handle any ailments that Mirlaic threw her way (though they were few in number). I told her one day that from now on, birthing children was her job.

As for me, surprise of surprises, I picked up drawing. There weren't exactly crayons or colored pencils in Gilloth, but I made out well with just plain quill and ink and something that resembled a thick lead pencil. If your at all interested in that sort of thing, the scenery of Gilloth was amazing. Even the forest had it's own beauty locked deep within it's menacing trees with their thick bark and dark leaves. I don't know why exactly I learned to draw. I guess sometimes I just felt Gilloth was all I knew of this world, whether it be a dream or reality. It was just so strange, and I suppose drawing the things around me was my only way of escaping my confinement and exploring this place all around me.

I would ride Talorta out everyday to the old willow tree where Faerlain used to give me lessons. There I would sit under it's comforting branches and draw everything and anything I saw that possessed a beauty of it's own. I had grown into the habit of stuffing a saddle bag full of my creations. This I would sling over Talorta's broad shoulders every time I went for a ride...just in case.

My particular favorite was one I had drawn of Turwethiel and Elenowen. They had been sitting by the stream, the elfling in her mother's arms. Little Turwethiel had been staring at the water with wide eyes and a face that only came once, when one experienced something wonderful for the very first time. Her silence that day was my only token of her amazement. Elenowen had been looking down fondly at her, her eyes bursting with love. Her dark hair shone as the sun reflected on it, framing her face so that she looked like an angel.

I never showed it to anyone. I don't know whether it was out of jealousy, or out of some emotion that I was unaware of. But most of my pictures, remained hidden deep inside me, a part of myself I could show to no one. Mirlaic once said, "A picture speaks wisdom and beauty with a thousand words." I guess she was right. Besides Mirlaic and Araviniel, no one knew of my new found passion. So I kept it that way. I spent most of my time alone, for ever the friendliest Elf cannot always comfort the tormented soul of a lost mortal. Too poetic to describe me I suppose, but it was how the words described me. And it was what I was.

* * *

"Talorta, stop eating my paper!" I scolded as his freckled nose nudged through my saddle bag which lay by my side. He froze, turning his great big head and staring at me through his large brown eyes. They were innocent eyes and I couldn't help but laugh. I wondered what words he would have used if he too could speak. I looked once more at the stream, I had been lost in thought, scribbling away at a picture without really noticing it. It was of Faerlain. I blushed, folding it quickly and shoving it into my bag. Rising, I brushed myself off and looked around. It was one of the few times I managed to slip into a pair of breeches without anyone noticing. Why I felt I had to hide them, I wasn't quite sure myself.

I had not many chores back at the flet anymore, thanks to Araviniel who's days serving the queen had made and imprint on her. The time spent at the flet now was mostly for lessons from Mirlaic and Araviniel. I absorbed everything I could about Middle Earth, anything they could tell or teach me, I listened to. Sometimes I felt like a caged animal in this village, but if I imagined hard enough, I could picture this entire world that was still so foreign and new to me.

"I guess we should head back." I slung the saddle bag over his shoulders and with the assistance of a log, slid onto his back. He started back through the woods towards the village when I felt very cold all of a sudden, having the distinct feeling that I was being watched. We were near the borders of the forest when I suddenly heard cries from deep within it. I slowed Talorta and stared into its depths.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Silence was my reply. Dead silence. Which was strange, where had all the birds gone? Where were the animals that scurried about on the forest floor? Mirkwood was a dark place, but the forest was not dead. It as alive with all sorts of creatures and just then they all seemed to had disappeared. I nudged Talorta forward, the crying had stopped. But I shuddered again as we move on. And we left the forest with not a single sound coming from behind us.

* * *

"Victoria, have you seen Ana?" Elenowen asked as I rode into the village square.

"No, I was by the stream." I said, I was going to laugh until the expression on her face silenced it. She was worried.

"It's probably nothing, she's just out playing with her friends is probably all." She looked up at me, "I've been looking for her for a while, she left after noon with our horse and hasn't come back since."

I frowned, "That's not like Ana."

"I'm sure she's fine..." Elenowen said quickly, "But... its just not like her, as you said... She rode out towards the forest."

"I'll go take a quick look for her."

Relief flooded into Elenowen's face. "Thank you so much Victoria, you are a good friend."

I smiled down at her, whirling Talorta around and then cantered back to the forest. As we neared the dense trees, the utter silence sent shivers down my spine. "Ana!" I shouted, the air so thick that no echo could be heard in reply. We wandered further inside when suddenly I heard rapidly approaching hoofbeats. Elenowen's horse bolted from their left and crashed into Talorta's side. The horse's eyes were wide with wild fright as it fell to it's knees after it's collision, stumbling back to it's feet. And then continuing it's mad bolt back to the village.

Talorta was breathing deeply and I patted his neck, the other horse probably knocked the wind from his chest. Luckily Elenowen's horse was not large, known only for it's speed so Talorta wasn't badly hurt, only bruised. And since the horse had crashed into Talorta's shoulder, I was otherwise unharmed. Fear welled up in my throat as I spurred Talorta in the direction the horse had come from.

"Ana!" I screamed. What was going on?

It was then I heard wailing from further in, and I pushed Talorta forward. I noticed the growl from the bushes too late to react. Before I could do anything a huge monster emerged, it looked like an over sized wolf with a back problem. It's eyes were small and dark, it's fangs huge, dripping with saliva as it roared at me. Talorta reared, starting at the sight of it and backing up. It snarled and yapped as it circled us, and then... it charged.

I froze in fright and my gaze turned upward toward the thing sitting upon it's back. It had pale grey skin with a metal bar covering it's right eye and screwed into it's skull. I couldn't speak, and as I tried to scream, no words would wrench themselves from my throat. It wore black, funny looking armor with lots of pikes and sharp objects ejecting from it. A jagged sword was held out before it as it charged at me.

I don't know what happened, but I was frozen. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe and with panic growing in my mind I realized that I was going to die. Talorta flattened his ears as the monster approached and lunged out at it with his front hooves. I slid from his back as I lost my balance and hit the ground with a painful thud. My mind swam as I scrambled to return to the light. I could vaguely hear Talorta squealing, and the snarls of the monster as they fought. It was a living nightmare, I wanted to scream and to wake up. But I couldn't. You never wake up from nightmares when you want to. I struggled to push myself up...I grabbed a large branch at my feet as I straighted on my legs which were shaking violently. I couldn't move...I blinked. I was terrified out of my mind. And then something happened that will haunt me forever. Both beast and monster turned to me, shoving Talorta out of the way, and they grinned.

* * *

My heart pounded fiercely against my chest, my lungs ready to burst. I wasn't suppose to face something like this. It was like in a book I read once, fear quenches all thoughts or hopes of bravery. This world couldn't be real. I would wake up...and it would all be gone. But it wasn't gone, and I wasn't dreaming. For that demon was sure as hell going to kill me. The monster started to charge. I contemplated two things in those brief seconds, running was one of them. It lasted for about a half a second. But the other thing was that all my reason seemed to have left me, and in one final frantic attempt, I ran.

Crashing through the bushes, and I could hear them following me from behind. I swerved, backtracking and heading for the edge of the woods once more. From then on I have always hater tree roots with a passion, for as I ran, one tripped me. And I fell. I faced the monster with the stick held out in front of me. And that was when I squinted my eyes tight. It would be on me any second now. _Three...two...one..._ The stick was torn from my grasp, twisting the wrist which had guarded it and sending bolts of pain up through my arm. Something sticky...something wet was on my fingers. And I heard a heavy thud that made me sick.

Right before I passed out.

* * *

When I opened my eyes agin, Talorta was hovering over me. His freckled nose was nudging my still body with concern. I sat up, looking around. The monster laid dead, as well as his rider. My stick protruded from it's throat. The grey beast looked like he had hit a tree, his eyes were open and staring unseeing at me with surprise, it's neck was misshapened. I took one more look at the corpses, and then at the dark blood that had run down my arm to my hand. Then I emptied the contents of my stomach with a wretching heave.

When I was through, I wiped my mouth and turned my pale face to the woods and called, "ANA!" One more time, carefully avoiding looking at the corpses. I heard the wailing again and I weakly pulled myself up in his back and spurred Talorta towards them. It was there, though those dark trees, that I found Ana. She was sobbing uncontrollably, one of her legs was twisted horribly. She looked up at me with wild eyes as we cantered over to her and let out another cry. This time

it was of relief as I dismounted and ran to her, hugging her close to my chest.

* * *

I was white as a ghost when we finally got back to Gilloth. Ana was huddled carefully in my arms, I was hunched over in my saddle, my eyes starting to close as Talorta finally plodded wearily into the village. It was dusk now, and the monster's dark blood was smeared across my face and had dried down my arm. I rode slowly towards to Elenowen's house, and upon reaching it, I dismounted. My legs would hardly hold my weight as I slid Ana into my arms and hobbled over to the door, knocking on it softly.

Elenowen opened the door, and let out a strangled cry. Cudir appeared behind her as Elenowen took Ana into her arms. I was pretty much worn and I leaned heavily on the door. "What happened? You're white as snow." Cudir asked, turning to me.

I quickly told him of the beast and the wolf. His expression darkened. "Orcs." He muttered. I could hardly think straight now, and as he spoke again to me I only understood fragments of what he was saying.

"I have to go." I mumbled, stumbling back to Talorta's side and started to pull myself on.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Cudir asked when Elenowen had carried Ana inside and put her to bed.

"I'm fine." I replied once I had scrambled onto Talorta's broad back.

"Victoria, wait."

I suddenly felt his hand on my arm. I looked down wearily at him. "Thank you." He said nothing else, for no other words were needed. Even in the dim light I could see his tears. I smiled softly,

"She is a good girl Cudir, one of my greatest friends." I blinked the sleep out of my eyes. He smiled in return and without anything else said, I rode again once more back to Mirlaic's flet as fast as Talorta could take me.

* * *

"Victoria!"

Mirlaic literally pulled me off Talorta when I reached the flet.

"Valar, the things that ran through my head when you didn't come back!" She embraced me tightly. I leaned heavily on her and nearly collapsed.

"I'm sorry Mirlaic, I'm so tired." I mumbled.

"Poor thing, I should say. Come, I'll get you all cleaned up." Before I knew it, I was sitting on a bed, a nightdress being slipped over my head, and a warm cloth wiping the remains of my vomit, and the monster's blood away from my skin. I told her all I could remember and she listened quietly. Soon I could no longer speak and tears ran down my cheeks and I just started to sob. I don't remember anything else about that night, except for Mirlaic's warm embrace as she held me tightly while I cried. Just like my mother used to do.

And in that moment, I would have given anything to have her arms around me once again. God, how I missed my mother just then.

* * *

Very many things happening in this chapter. Get ready for some excitement in the next few chapters, as well as the return of some familiar faces... :) I will say no more. :) Also, I don't know how many of you caught the bit about Elven babies having green eyes, but if you did, that was all my idea. :) I put that in and so far I have found nothing on that subject in any of Tolkien's works. Just so you all know. I'll try to update again soon, in the mean time, thanks a million to my beta reader, Kiann. :) Toodles! :)

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED....


	11. Dresses

Disclaimer: I do not own nor pretend to own the world which Tolkien created, I only use it to escape my own world.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Dresses

I awoke a day later, the grime was washed from my body and my soiled dress exchanged for a nightgown. I got up, dressing slowly. Then upon opening my door, I wandered into the kitchen. I was still pale and my hands hadn't stopped shaking yet, but being back within the comforts of Mirlaic's flet had calmed my nerves. She was standing over the fire as I sank into a chair. Her long hair was in a simple braid and she smiled as she turned to look back at me.

"Feeling better?" She asked gently as she set a cup of something that looked warm and smelled great in front of me. I gave her a kind of sarcastic laugh and held up my hands which were still shaking.

"A little." I picked up the cup and sipped the liquid, closing my eyes as its warmth spread throughout my body.

"Sore?"

I nodded. "How's Ana?"

"She's doing well, she sprained her knee, but it is healing fast." She sat opposite of me and held out her hand. "Let me see your arm."

I glanced down at my right wrist in surprise, I had laid it in my lap and only now did I realize that it was bandaged.

"You broke it." She said as she massaged it with her deft fingers. "But I've seen worse."

I nodded, wincing as she pressed harder and looking into the cup at the amber liquid that filled it.

"The whole village is talking about you." She continued, rising and retrieving one of her numerous ointments from a shelf. "It's amazing what stories can go around in only one days time."

I shook my head, "I don't even want to think about it. I was so scared Mirlaic, I was so scared I almost wet myself." She chuckled softly. "I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, by all means I should be dead."

"No one in this world had the right or wisdom to judge life and death Victoria. That is a decision that belongs to others who are much greater then us. That is up to the creators."

"Still...I just...stood there."

She stopped rubbing to ointment on my swollen wrist and looked into my eyes. "Sometimes bravery comes in small packages Victoria. So small we do nor even know they exist. Not many would have saught the company of those in the forest in the first place. We overcome our fears to become something great. You will see Victoria, just wait."

"There was not an ounce of bravery in me then Mrilaic."

"Well, obviously it just wasn't your time yet."

* * *

News of the orc sped through the village and once again the young Elves set out to find and to destroy any enemy host that was present on the borders. A few of the neighboring villages had not been so lucky. There had been an open fight in the ones farther South, many had been wounded. And a few had died. I was left home the day Araviniel and Mirlaic set out to help with the wounded. Cudir had been called, but promised to be home by late May. The young Elves left and the village seemed so quite without their presence.

Ana was on the road to recovery and less then a week later she was able to walk again without support. Apparently for Elves, the ability to heal quickly is natural. Unlike them, my wrist was in a splint and sling and would stay that way for a good long time.

Talorta became slightly overprotective after the attack as the day progressed and would often follow me around everywhere. I had noticed that his lameness from Zach's accident had all but gone. He walked with barely a limp now, and was as fresh and strong as if nothing had ever happened. But though I was thrilled about his miraculous recovery, I had lost something dear to me that weighed heavily on my mind, all of my drawings. I told Mirlaic about them finally and as always, she told me not to cry over spilt milk and bade me to start with a fresh start. So I did.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the attack, little to no news of the fights with them in the South reached us. Each day was spent in fretful prayer and I spent as much time as I could with Ana, Elenowen, and baby Turwethiel. Mirlaic had returned five days past, but Araviniel had stayed behind to assist with the wounded that were coming in from the front lines. Ana's leg had healed, but my wrist was still bound useless in a sling, so as much as I wanted to start drawing again, I could do only very little at a time before I would get an ache that would burn and fester enough to bring teats to my eyes.

I spent long hours and shed many tears working on portraits of Faerlain, Mirlaic, Talorta, and Araviniel. The days melted into nights like rain upon the shore. I spent as long as I could with Ana, for her silence had increased after Cudir left. I was sitting outside her flet watching her play with her sister that day. Elenowen was at market and I would draw as much as I could while I basked in the sunlight.

The young Elf grew closer to me in spirit, if such a thing were in fact possible and sometimes I would imagine she was my sister. Which was something I had always wanted. I was sketching her play, a pleased smile on her face while Turwethiel gurgled with happiness. Ana had a dreamy expression on her milk white face as she looked contentedly at the bundle of joy bouncing about in her lap.

I had told her Cinderella again, it was her favorite story. She turned to me very slowly. "I believe I favor the prince very much Victoria."

"Do you? I believe I favor him to." I had to fight to suppress a giggle when she had said 'favor'.

"Do you think I have a prince?"

"Undoubtedly, he will come for you when you are all grown up and sweep you up onto his gleaming white steed and gallop with you into the sunset. He will be handsome, and strong."

"I should you like yo meet him too Victoria, when he comes I mean."

I smiled. "We'll see Ana. That is a very long time away." I didn't add that I'd probably be dead by then.

"Do you have a prince Victoria?"

Faerlain's face swept into my mind for all fo an instant before it disappeared. "I think so Ana." I said softly.

"Do I know him?"

"Perhaps."

She grinned, but didn't say anything more. Sometimes I wasn't sure just how much she knew. Ana was clever for her age, very, very clever. Her eyes turned and I followed her gaze as she stared at something behind me. It was Alphril, I gave her a friendly wave as she approached rapidly.

"Suilad Victoria." She called out as she neared us, there was a spring in her step and a gleam in her eyes that was unmistakable, and also something I had never seen before. "Could I entice you to follow me back to my home?"

My eyes lifted in surprise. "Uh...Yes. Of course... something wrong?"

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong, nothing at all." She chuckled, glancing at me every once and a while and holding back a smile.

"What's this about Alphril?"

"Oh, you'll see. I received a package for you."

Ana was by now at my side and pulling at my arm. "Come on Victoria, even I've never gotten a package before."

I laughed, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Please Victoria." I was already set on going, Alphril's little chuckles held too many questions for my curiosity to ignore. But what really won me over was the small light that had entered Ana's eyes. She had been very quiet after Cudir left for the front lines again, and I knew she was very worried about him. I smiled down at her, then glanced at Alphril, "All right, I'll come."

* * *

I loved the way Alphril's shop smelled, of spices, herbs, new fabric, and sweets. It reminded me of Faerlain somehow. I loved to just stand there and soak it all up whenever I visited her. Which was more often since Araviniel had left for the South to help with the wounded. The shop itself never really seemed to change, the shelves stocked with fabrics, tools, sweets. It was like a little old-fashioned _Adams_ or something. There was a long table towards the back that served as a sort of counter/register. And was set just to the right of a door that went into the back room where she kept extra supplies and any mail that came in through here.

"Here it is." She said, I was sitting in the large chair where I had first met Ana. Unlike on that cold wintry day nearly a year ago, it was beautiful out. And the fire place was vacant of any flames.

The package was actually a rather large wooden box. Made from what looked like white Dogwood bark. Of this I wasn't certain however, because...well...do Dogwoods even grow in Middle Earth? "What...? Who's this from Alphril?"

She sat down opposite of me and set Ana on her lap. "That's he funny thing, it bore no name. A messenger brought it this morning."

I turned it over, shook it a little. But upon hearing nothing, I peered suspiciously at it and looked up at her again. She was laughing,

"Iell you look like a little Elfling on the winter festival. Go on, open it!"

I turned it right side-over, there was a leather binding that secured the lid. I untied it. Inside was a soft piece of large green leaves. I lifted them up, and then stopped, my mouth dropped in astonishment. It was a dress. I dropped the leaf, it was not just any dress. It was _THE_ dress. It was blue, like the sky after a storm. Flowers, they looked like Star-Flowers were imprinted on the bodice and down the sleeves, and a belt woven of the same design, only in a pale green, was wrapped around the waist. I ran my fingers over the silken material and I gingerly lifted it up. My eyes wide with wonder. I held it close to me, running my eyes over it again and again. It smelled of the woods after a spring rain.

"It's beautiful." I whispered, quite at a loss for words.

"There's more." Ana said, now in front of me and pointing underneath where the dress had lain. There was a crown. A crown of soft green leaves and fresh flowers in an array of pastel pinks, blues, greens, and silvers. I set the dress down on my lap and then lifted the crown from it's place. I found that it had long strings of flowers that hung down from it and that would flow through my hair.

"Who did this?" I asked in astonishment.

Ana was gently touching the flowers of the grown and staring at it with eyes that were wide as my own.

"I don't know." She said. "The messenger only said, 'The sender of this package said you'd know who sent it after the festival.' And then he was gone."

I nodded in acknowledgment, running my fingers over the designs on the bodice before gently folding it once more. Then I looked back up at her. "Then I'll have to go, won't I?" A grin seeped onto my face and Ana giggled and Alphril laughed.

"I just have one question, what exactly is this festival?"

* * *

Ok, as you can see I'm having a bust of creativity for this story, expect an update soon! The climax of this part is rapidly approaching, (I probably already told you al that... :) But I thought I'd give you another heads up.

Thanks again to my Beta, Kiann!!! :)

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED


	12. Spring Festival

Disclaimer: I do not own nor pretend to own any of J.R.R. Tolkien's work. This is only a story to pay tribute to his masterpiece.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Spring Festival

"The Spring Festival is an ancient tradition of the Elves." Alphril explained as she served us some hot tea. "When young female Elves come of age, twenty years or so, they are presented to the village as young women."

"Presented?" I asked her, sipping my tea.

"Yes, there is dancing and singing, and it would not be the first time a young Elf has proposed to one of the presented. You could describe it as a sort of, coming out. Saying to all that these maidens are adults in the eyes of the village and are old enough to marry. It is celebrated throughout Mirkwood."

How I wished Faerlain could be there to see me in that dress, but again, that was only wishful thinking. Faerlain had not returned since that dreamy winter day when I had been sick. We had received no word from him since and though we never spoke of it, we were all worried. Word reached our ears all the time that the fighting on the southern and eastern fronts were fierce. Mirlaic said to me once that the Dark Lord was becoming more powerful, but when I asked her more about this 'dark lord' she would say no more.

I could hear Talorta knickering to Sirdal, Araviniel's bay mare. I think he had taken quite a liking to her. For Spring had an infectious presence that came with it that made one dream of lovers and feel...well...suddenly flirtatious. Such feelings were not lost on Talorta and I accidentally caught many young couples stealing kissed behind trees and on the sides of flets. Come to think of it, I had seen more Elves kissing then I had with the kids at school. School...my Calculous was pretty much forgotten if not non-existent now. Ouch. Glad I wasn't home thinking on that.

We had fallen silent, thinking about the festival and I looking dreamily outside at my horse who was grazing contentedly next to the Elven mare's side. "When does the festival take place Mirlaic?"

"In the third week of Lothron."

I tilted my head and knit my browns in confusion. She looked at me and smiled,

"I believe humans call it, May?"

I nodded in new understanding. "So that's in..." I counted the days off onmy fingers and my eyes widened in surprise. "But that's in three days!"

Mirlaic laughed, "Yes my dear, the preparations began last week. It is a very special occasion because it doesn't happen often, every six centuries or so."

"Wow. Would Araviniel be presented if she were here?"

"No, but you will be."

Now that I wasn't expecting, I blinked a few times before replying. I hadn't exactly planned on being presented...if you know what I mean. "Mirlaic.... I can't be presented! I mean...it wouldn't be right..."

"Why?" She asked, smiling at my loss for the correct words. Damn, it wasn't my fault they wouldn't come out right!

"Well first of all, aren't I just a little bit..young?"

Now Alphril laugh, "Yes Victoria, you are so very young. But in the ways of your people, you are dawning on the age of womanhood. It is your time now."

"But...I'm...well... not an Elf, that's for sure."

"We have already discussed this with the Elders of the village. For all you have done for them, they feel you are ready."

"But...but..."

"Running out of excuses Victoria?" Mirlaic asked mischievously. I looked at both of them, and then at Ana. She was gazing expectantly at me. I sighed, shrugged, "Well, how I can I refuse?"

* * *

Most of the male Elves left to fight in early April after my encounter with the orc. Many of the Elves who were to be presented were nervous that there would be none left to dance with during the festival. Mirlaic calmed their fears saying that they could always dance with each other, if worst should come to worst. I didn't really know what to think of it all. On the one hand, I was excited that I would finally be a part of something that was going to happen in Gilloth. For even though this was the start of my third year here, I still felt like a stranger. On the other hand, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be presented. For it brought up that all too painful reminder, that no one in the village would want to marry me.

The days dwindled down, and before I knew it, it was the eve of the Festival. "You Elves have a lot of holidays." I said absently as I helped Mirlaic ground some herb into powder, Athelas I think she called it.

"We have our traditions just as you have yours."She replied. Well, she was right. How many things did we celebrate back home in America? I mean, people will celebrate anything as long as they get the day off.

I was standing by the window, watching the goings on of the village while I grounded the Athelas. I could see the other girls practicing their dancing for the celebrations tomorrow, the children hanging up decorations all throughout the village.

"Mirlaic?"

"Yes iell?"

"Who do you think sent that dress?"

She paused, looked up at me with a small smile on her face. "I don't know little one, whoever it was has taken I fancy to you though."

It was nearing dusk now and just then, there was a knock at the front door. "Oh?" she glanced behind me at the setting sun. "Who would be calling at this hour?" She wiped her hands on her apron.

"I'll get it Mirlaic."

"Hannon le iell." (Thank you little one)

I nodded and walked towards it slowly. Athelas has a beautiful smell, it holds this...dream like quality that makes you see things you wish were there, but really were not. So when I opened the door, I swear I thought the stuff had gone to my head.

"Suilad Victoria!"

I blinked as I stared at the figure standing in the door way. "Araviniel...?"

She laughed and embraced me tightly. "Hana lime indra!" (It had been too long) She said, finally releasing me as Mirlaic came running over.

"What...how...? You said you wouldn't be able to come home for another month at least." Exclaimed Mirlaic.

"I thought so too, they told me my services were appreciated, but I could return home for this." She turned to me again, beaming. "And don't think it hasn't reached my ears that your to be presented."

* * *

We went to the stream that night to enjoy the last rays of the sun. Talorta and Sirdal were grazing contentedly, and the Star-Trees were glowing softly in diminishing light.

"I had so wished you would come." I said as we watching the stream. She was sprawled out on the grass propped up on one elbow to look at me. I was resting with my feet dangling in the cool water.

"I thought I wouldn't be able to make it." She sighed, "It is so good to be home."

I played with a wilted Star-Flower that had fallen by my side. "Araviniel, why aren't you being presented tomorrow?"

"Because I was already presented Victoria, many years ago."

I turned to look at her, "Tell me what it was like."

She looked up and smiled softly. "I always loved the festival at the palace. There was quite a few, it wasn't like it is here in Gilloth. All of the most beautiful maidens journeyed to be presented. All of them dancing for the prince in hope of being chosen for his bride."

Now I laughed,"You are head over heels for him Araviniel." She didn't deny it, which was something that made me chuckle as she snapped back to reality with a sheepish smile on her elegant face. "Has the prince decided upon a bride?"

She shook her head, "That's the funny part, he never shown any interest in any of the maidens. Ever."

I snorted, "He sounds like a pompous pretty boy to me."

"I have no idea what you mean by that, but I can assure you, he is nothing like that. Besides, you wouldn't say that if you knew him."

"No, then I'd say he was a rich, uptight, snotty, pompous pretty boy, princeling brat."

She glared at me for a moment before seeing the jest in my face and smiling. "Well, I'm still not sure what everything you said means exactly, sometimes I think you mortals have a special language for the common tongue as well. Anyway, it was not the Prince who rested on my mind this night."

She blushed slightly and the smile didn't fade from her face.

"I do believe your blushing dear Araviniel, care to explain?"

"You could say I met someone."

"Really?"

"I think I'm in love."

I eyed her suspiciously, "Is this about Lego-"

"No! I've outgrown my fantasies of marrying him." She paused, winking. "Not that they do not still exist or course."

"This is a new side of you Araviniel. So...who is he?"

She saddled twirled a Star-Flower in her hand. "I met him in the healing stations."

"So...he's a warrior?"

"Yes."

"Let me guess, he was wounded right?"

"I know it's a little..."

"Expectant? Typical?"

She laughed, "I guess you could say that. His name is Nenmir."

I waited patiently for her to continue. "I was in one of the wards a few weeks ago when they brought him in. He was badly wounded and in pain that most Elves never have to experience because of our ability to heal quickly. I was assigned to him and went daily to attend to his wounds. I don't know how it happened exactly. But suddenly...it was like I was floating on a cloud. It was so...unexpected. He would talk to me...and we just sort of clicked. I can't do anything without my thoughts turning to him at one time or another."

"Is he handsome?"

She met my gaze for a moment, then lowered it, smiling. "Yes." She blushed again, right to the tips of her pointed ears.

"Then what?"

"Nothing."

My brows raised. "Oh ho ho, do I want to know what happened next?"

She didn't answer.

"You make me feel so young Araviniel, I haven't found love yet." I said in jest.

She looked at me again and laughed. "But you are so young Victoria! The lives of men are so short in the span of our time." She turned to the stream, "Do you see the water Victoria? It is a marvelous being. It can bring life, joy, change, sorrow, anger... everything. It is constantly changing, bringing these gifts to all in it's path. You are like this stream Victoria, always changing, always trying to find the right course. Such a life to lead!"

I grinned at as she finished this analogy of my being. "So what are you, the fish?"

She laughed again, "No. I am more like this tree." She reached up and patted the smooth bark. "Or the grassy plains, the ageless cliffs, and the motionless stones. Elves don't change, we linger. Preserving a way of life that very rarely changes. It is something very different." She looked at me again. "That is why you are to be presented. Because you have brought a life to this village. A freshness that we had not seen in a good long while. That is why Victoria."

We both fell silent, gazing at the ripping stream and the shadows that the moon cast upon it. I looked up at the dark sky, the sun had long since. "It is late. We should be getting back."

"Yes. Your right." She said softly, rising and then holding out a hand to me. We mounted the horses and started back slowly to the village. But I couldn't help my but wonder, was I really something Gilloth had needed? Or would it have been better if I had never come at all?

* * *

I felt like I was going to puke. I couldn't get my hands to stop shaking, my words refused to come out without stuttering. I couldn't think straight. Araviniel had faced me away from the mirror and I was sitting like a skittish colt while She and Mirlaic helped me to get ready. Not only was I shaking like a leaf, by Araviniel teased me about my nervousness unmercifully. I couldn't see much of anything as Araviniel laced up the back of the dress. Then Mirlaic set out to doing my hair while I sat silently trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

I didn't see much of myself at all that morning, I was too preoccupied with whether or not I was indeed going to be sick. "For goodness sake child, it's a festival! Not an execution."

"I know, I'm just nervous."

"She's not lying." muttered Araviniel her hands rested on her hips as she surveyed me over.

"What do you think?" She asked me.

"The parts I can see look great." Mirlaic started to comb out the tangles in my hair. "Who do you think sent me this dress?" I asked, now wringing my hands together.

"I honestly have no idea, so I cannot answer that. But you will find out soon enough though won't you?" Mirlaic had lifted the crown from the box and had now settled it upon my head. I could feel her arranging it just so, and twisting my hair into perfection. "There."

Araviniel took my hand, and upon standing, led me over to the mirror. What I saw... to make the biggest understatement of the year...was not what I had been expecting.

"Do you think she's ready Mirlaic?" Araviniel asked, a smile spread wide across her fair features.

I was staring dumbly into the mirror, my eyes were wide and unblinking. Who was that woman staring back at me through the looking glass? Where was Victoria? Vic I had been to Zachary. Zach...I wondered if he could see me now. About to be presented to a village of people who back home, didn't even exist. I hoped he was watching me now.

"She's ready." Mirlaic squeezed my shoulder. "Are you all right iell?"

"Yes Victoria, what do you think?" asked Araviniel.

"Frankly, who is that stunning creature." I said pointing to my reflection. "And where is that flea bag you call Victoria?"

* * *

The Festival opens with all the young female Elves lining up before the Eldest of the Elves of the village. One by one they stand before the Elders who are seated in a semi-circle in the center of the village. The female Elf announced her name and her age. Then one of the Elders whispers a blessing in Quenya. (A language that was used only for special occasions and that I knew not one word of.) Mirlaic and Alphril were both Elders. After the blessing was given, the female Elf was presented with a wreath of specially woven flowers that was very similar to an Hawaiian lei. They are then given a name that will be used in their adult lives.

There were eight Elves altogether, I made it nine. No rules about mortals were found, you only have to be single, at least twenty. These did not relinquish the stares I received from those present however. (A glare from Celebas of course, the evil Elf brat who pounded me into the snow before I got lost in the forest.) I was the very last in line and I swore I thought everyone could hear my heart beating fiercely against my chest.

Just breath Victoria, breathe.

Araviniel was standing among the sidelines next to Elenown and Ana and baby Turwithiel. I couldn't hear the words being said to the young Elves as each in turn were presented. I didn't watch as the crowd clapped when each one turned from the platform, away from the Elders as a woman, not an Elfling anymore. Then, it was my turn. Mirlaic stood and approached me as I stepped up to the semi-circle. She said the soft, Elvish words with her hands on my shoulders.

"Don't be nervous." She whispered once she had finished.

"I'm not." I whispered back.

She smiled, then turned me around so I faced the crowd. "Never before has a mortal partaken in this special ceremony." She said, her voice firm and strong. "However, Victoria has become a part of this village. She is like a daughter to me and a friend to many. I ask you all, as children of the Valar to welcome her as she begins her new life here with us."

There was dead silence.

My heart stopped beating. I searched the faces of the Elves standing around, no one moved. Then, very softly, I heard clapping. It was Ana. Turwethiel, seeing her sister, did the same. Elenown grinned and then joined them. It was like a wave. Very soft as first, but then everyone was clapping as it grew. I could hear cheers, shouts of good will. Mirlaic was by now hugging me tightly. I had tears in my as I hugged her back.

"Welcome home Victoria, Welcome to Gilloth." Mirlaic said as she released me and looked deep into my eyes. Who would have figured I'd been so happy to be accepted here? I wasn't just a mortal girl anymore. I was Victoria, I was here because of who and what I was. I was me. Was this world even real? Frankly, I didn't give a damn...at all.

"What's her new name?" called out Ana from the sidelines. The crowd silenced as I looked up at Mirlaic. She in turn glanced at the Elders who nodded and then she looked back at me.

"You are Victoria child, you forever shall and will be. But a part of you belongs here now. With us." She gestured to the Elves gathered. Alphril handed her a lei, woven of pastel green and blue flowers. Some of which were Star-Flowers. Then she looked at the crown, smiled and said, "You shall be called, Thenindiel." She said loudly. Then, looking at me she said softly as she draped the lei around my neck. "Daughter of a True Heart."

The Elves clapped again and Mirliac kissed my cheek. "Thank you." I said.

"You will forever be in my heart Victoria." She replied, caressing my cheek lovingly. An Elder stepped forward.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let the celebration begin!"

* * *

I don't believe I have ever felt such joy as I stepped down from the semi-circle of Elders and as I hugged my friends as they all crowded around me. The music began and with it, the dancing. But suddenly just as the music started to get slightly faster, some of the female Elves started to cry out,

"The warriors have returned! They've returned!"

The music was drowned out from my hearing as the warriors filed through the crowd to find their loved ones. I hardly noticed however as I stared at someone who had just now approached.

"Hello Victoria." The someone said softly.

I blinked, this couldn't be real. I must be dreaming. This wasn't happening. I couldn't speak for fear this fantasy would be torn cruelly from me.

"Well, are you just going to stand there? Do I not at least get a thank you for that marvelous dress?"

I finally found words, they came out in a whisper, I couldn't manage anything more. Oh please, let it be true.

"Faerlain?"

* * *

I betcha that all of you pretty much guessed who sent little Miss Victoria here the dress. :) And yes I finally have written a happy chapter!!! :) Ok, reviews always help my creativity, and I'll try to update soon. I'm going to Washington D.C. tomorrow for the March for Life. I just hope I don't freeze my but off... Thanks a million to my beta, Kiann. And to all my readers! Love you all!

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED...


	13. Dancing

Disclaimer: I do not own Tolkien's work, nor do I ever to claim as much.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Dancing

"Victoria?"

I couldn't move. My eyes were fixed upon his face. A face I had dreamed of for so long. Oh, would someone please pinch me? If this was all a dream, let me never wake up. Even if I was to just stand here looking at him forever. I don't know exactly what happened after that, but suddenly I was running to him and I jumped into his arms. He was laughing, and twirling me around. I clung to his warmth, basked in his presence. The familiar smell of horses and leather consumed me. Tears were falling down my cheeks so powerfully that I couldn't stop them.

"Now what are these?" He asked softly as he set me down once more. "Regretful to see an old friend?"

I smiled, sniffing slightly. "Never. I missed you more then words can say."

He smiled and bushed my cheek gently with his strong hands. "Well milady, may I have this dance?"

The music had started up again, I glanced at the couples who now danced in the center of the village. I turned to him again, took his outstretched hand and said, "It would be an honor sir."

* * *

We danced jigs, reels, some that resembled waltzes and some plain slow dances. I stared deeply into his eyes and he into mine. We feasted merrily, laughing and talking with our families and with out friends. He looked so handsome. He had most of his armor on, the thick leather tunic. His clothes themselves were darkly colored like the forest. His vambrace was engraved with a large tree, the end of the branches were stars. It was really quite beautiful. Two knives were strapped to both sides of his hips and his bow was leaning up against a tree a ways back.

I found that I couldn't tear my gaze away from him. I had so often recalled the image of his smile, the familiar twinkle in his grey eyes. The sound of his laughter, the way he spoke. The way he looked at me. It made me feel so warm inside, no stable boy or high school jock had ever given me that same feeling when I was back at home. I was so afraid that I would lose him if I even just looked away. The day passed like a dream, all blurry and not quite there. The only thing I was aware of, was him.

And we danced.

* * *

We were doing one of the slow dances, to a melody that I could neither describe or explain. It was gentle, like the first rays of sunlight after a spring rain. I was so tired I felt I would fall over at any time. But I didn't want this night to end. We had stopped dancing. I looked up at him for an explanation, my mind was going all fuzzy.

"Your slipping." He whispered in my ear.

My head had been practically resting on his shoulder. He was smiling at me and I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I'm just so tired."

"You've had quite the day I can imagine." He said. We started to slowly dance once more.

"Dancing for hours upon hours is something we mortals can normally keep up with."

"Your slipping again."

This time I stopped altogether, swaying slightly and leaning on him. He led me away from the couples of young elves to a log/chair looking thing on the sidelines.

"Thanks." I said, sitting upon it with a sigh or relief and a silent prayer of thanksgiving. We were silent, watching the elves dance and listening to the music. The sun had long since set and the village square was lit with colored lanterns which cast a soft glow on the dancing and celebrations. Basically, the dancing lasted till about midnight, sometimes continuing on till much later.

The dresses of the elven maids swirled in the soft light, glowing like fairy wings. Most of the male elves were still in their warrior garb, similar to Faerlain's, but it only made them look more handsome. I was lost in thought as we sat there. My mind starting to slowly shut down.

I hardly noticed it at first, but as we sat there, I could gently feel his arm wrapped around me. I glanced up into his face and my look was met with a reassuring smile. I moved over to him slowly, resting my head upon his shoulder as he drew me in close.

"Does this mean we're still friends?" He asked, resting his chin upon my head.

I smiled as my eyes closed. "Oh yes." I mumbled sleepily. "The best of friends."

Within minuets, with his arms around me and the comforting feeling that, for the moment, everything was perfect. I was asleep.

* * *

-She didn't last did she- Mirlaic asked, walking over to where Faerlain was sitting with Victoria huddled sound asleep in his arms. Faerlain smiled and shook his head.

-No, she was exhausted. And I don't blame her.- He looked down fondly at the girl in his arms. -She had a very exciting day.-

Mirlaic smiled and nodded. -Yes. Well, let me wake her. I will bring her home.-

-No.- Faerlain replied. -I will bring her, do not disturb her from her slumber just yet.-

Mirlaic did not question him, merely nodded and gestured to the direction of her flet. -Come on then, I know Alphril is anxious to see you. You seemed...shall we say...slightly preoccupied today- There was a twinkle of mirth in her aged eyes.

Faerlain didn't reply. He gathered Victoria's slight frame into his strong arms and stood. The older Elf and he walked quickly through the quiet streets until they reached her flet.

-Her bedroom is in there Faerlain.- Mirlaic said, pointing as the two entered.

-Thank you.- He said, walking through the open door, he smiled at the simplicity of the room. It was quaint, there were drawings scattered over the bed, on the floor, and by the window. A sketching quill here and there. He gently set her down upon the bed, gently removing the flower crown from her dark hair. He set it down on the small table by the bed. Bending, he reached down and scooped up a few of the loose papers that had fallen to the floor.

They were beautiful, pictures of the elves here in Gilloth. He saw one of Mirlaic, Araviniel, Cudir and his wife, one of Alphril. And one of him. He glanced at her peaceful figure, a soft smile had formed upon her lips as she slept soundly without a care. Faerlain put the picture down next on the table next to her bed, then picking up a fresh sheet, he quickly scribbled a note on it and set it next to the picture. He looked at her again, gently pulled the blanket out from under her body and pulled it up around her. Victoria slept soundly, the smile not fading from her lips.

Faerlain bent down, placing a kiss on her cheek, whispering. "I will never hurt you Victoria." He brushed a stray lock of her hair away from her face. Then wordlessly, he left the room.

* * *

Well well, as you can all see, things are happy right now. BUT PREPARE YOUR SELVES! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Happy belated Valentine's Day:) And that is all, please review all! I need some help in the creativity and updating soon part of my little brain. :) He he.

Namarie.

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED...


	14. Renewed

Chapter Fourteen

Renewed

* * *

I didn't even know I had been dreaming...or that I had even fallen asleep until Mirlaic had gently shaken me awake. "Time to get up iell, the sun had long since risen."

I opened my eyes, blinking the sleep from them and looking up at her. She was smiling gently at me, her hand caressed my brow.

"Is it so late?" I asked her, glancing at the window, sitting up, and noting the brightness outside with dismay.

"Yes my child, I let you sleep though. You've had quite the night."

I stared at her in confusion for a few moments before understanding (and recollection) slowly seeped back into my mind. "The festival..." I said, blinking again, I glance around the room. "How did I...?"

"You fell asleep, Faerlain brought you home." Wishing I had been awake when he had done so made me redden suddenly, so I instead occupied myself with stretching so Mirlaic could not see my crimson features. It was then also I noticed I was still wearing that beautiful dress he had given me.

"I made something for you to eat." Mirlaic said, walking to the door. "Get dressed and then come and get it." She said, then she walked out and softly closed the door. I pushed the blankets off my legs slowly and slid my legs of the bed onto the floor. Rising, I exchanged my dress for a simpler one and quickly braided my hair. I folded the blue/green dress up lovingly and placed it in my chest at the foot of my bed. I would treasure it always. But...where was the crown? I glanced around the room for signs of it and spied it on the night table nest to the bed. I walked over and picked it up carefully. It was then I noticed two things, a picture I had dreamily sketched of Fearlain and a note written in his hand. I picked up the note and put the crown atop the dress. Then stood still as I read,

_Dearest Victoria,_

_I trust you slept well? You did not last past one in the morning so I took you home. I had a wonderful evening last night Victoria. Will you meet me today at our old meeting place by the sream?_

_Sincerely,_

_Faerlain_

The note was written in Tenqwar which only made me more pleased upon reading it. I smiled and folded it up and slipped it into the right pocket of my apron. Of course I would go to him by the stream. How could I not? Ever since he had come back I never wanted to leave him. What this was love was like? I shook my head in reply to this question. No, it couldn't be. For one thing still plagued me always, how could Faerlain ever love me?

* * *

"I'm glad you came." He said, half running over to me from his former stance by the tree as I entered the clearing.

"Of course I came." I smiled up at him as he stood before me. "I wanted to thank you...for everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes, for the dress, the dances, the moon that shone so brightly, for the gentle breeze..."

"I didn't do all that surely." He said teasingly.

"Maybe not, be it seemed like it."

He grinned.

"It meant a lot to me Faerlain."

He took my hand, still smiling. "Come."

I didn't argue as he led me over to the tree. He stopped and turned so that we were facing each other. He took both my hands in his, "I need to say something Victoria. Something that had prodded my mind since the day I met you."

I smiled, but my heart had begun to race wildly. He was searching my eyes deeply, and I wanted to open my soul to him. I would have told him anything...anything he wanted to know. He had only to ask.

"You know...you know I would never...hurt you...?"

I blinked, what was he trying to tell me."Yes...I know that."

"You know that I would protect you always?"

"Yes Faerlain, I do."

He nodded, closed his eyes for a moment, sighing. "Then let me say this Victoria." He was now searching my eyes again, and I felt lost in them. He was so close to me, I could feel his warmth, his touch, his presence.

"I love you."

That's when I froze. I thought for a second I was going to pass out. I wanted to say, "What?" But nothing came out.

"I have loved you every moment of every day since I met you. Every hour, every second. Every day of every year. You haunt my thoughts and my dreams. I tried to ignore these feelings because I didn't want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you." He gently caressed my cheek. "I thought I would die when I was parted from you. When we fought, I could think only of you. You were everywhere." He was breathless, his eyes flaring with passion.

And well, I was dumbfounded. Stupid mouth, no words would come out! I stared with a blank expression on my face, blinking. He loved me. He loved _me. _He pulled me closer, slipping his arms around my waist, I did not resist him. I melted into him.

"Please Victoria, tell me I am not alone."

I looked up at him, still staring. I could find no words, they all seemed jumbled into a blur of nothingness. All of them meaning the same thing. I love you too. I love you too. I love you too. I managed a smile and whispered, "_I love you too_."

The smile on his face grew until I was sure it was touching the tips of both his pointed ears. He hesitantly lowered his head, asking me wordlessly.

YES! YES! YES! No objection here!

I closed my eyes, I could feel his hands on my back, on my waist. Mine had reached up around his broad shoulders. Our lips met in a fury of passion. We were one together. I never wanted to let him go. That was the way I had always wanted to be kissed. And we kissed. Oh yes, we kissed.

* * *

"Your turn." Faerlain said softly to me.

"Well, I like the way you smile when your pleased with something."

"When I'm pleased with something?" He asked me, I tilted my head up to look at him. We were both leaning against the tree. Well... he was against the tree. I was against him. And how I loved it.

"Yes." I replied.

"Like this?" He gave me that smile I loved so much and I nodded.

"Yep. That's the one. You looked at me when I saw you at the festival."

"I know. I couldn't help it. You looked beautiful, the Star-Flowers of Gilloth pale in comparison."

I giggled that sissy girly giggle that always used to annoy me so much. And then I snuggled deeper into his chest as he tightened his arms around my body. How long had we been there? I didn't know, I wished we could go on living forever like that. Forever. I frowned, forever was an awfully long time.

"Faerlain?"

"Yes _a'mealamin_?" (my beloved)

"When you went away last time...you left me a letter." He waited silently for me to continue. "The Tale of Luthien and Beren... how does it end?"

He was silent after this question as well. Then he sighed, "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I do."

"After Beren was killed in his quest to save Thingol's kingdom. He was brought back in honor and died before Luthien Tinuviel could say good-bye. She traveled to the Halls of Mandos in deep sorrow. Mandos, Lord of the Dead and keeper of the gift to mortals saw her and wished to know why she had come. She requested to be allowed only to say good-bye to Beren, telling him of her woeful tale. Mandos said yes and asked her to sing for him in return. When she finished, Mandos was so enraptured by Luthien, that he told her she could choose one of two things. To live forever in the company of the Valar in paradise, or to have the chance at a second life with Beren. To become mortal and to die at the end of her long years."

Faerlain paused, and I looked up at him. His eyes were facing towards the woods with a faraway look in them.

"What did she choose?"

"Luthien sacrificed her immortality for Beren. She lived with him and died with him."

I was silent after this. She lived with him, and she died with him. "Faerlian...what about...us?"

He was silent for a moment more, then looked down at me sadly. "I love you Victoria. I wish to be always with you. I would too sacrifice my immortality to do this. I would do it Victoria, if only I know how."

He sounded heartbroken, and in an instant I had pushed off of him and kissed him before he could utter another syllable. I stopped, resting on his chest and looking into his face. "I know my years are short compared to yours." I said, "It is your decision in the end, but I love you more then anything in the world. Yes, even Talorta comes second to you. I know a trip to the Halls of Mandos is probably difficult to procure, but I am with you now. And now is all that matters." He avoided my gaze and I hovered above his lips, brushing them gently and luring him back to me. We kissed again, and I could feel his sorrow as he did so.

"I love you Victoria."

"I know." I said, I rested on him again and took his hand as I heard him sigh.

"We'll make this work."

"I know."

"How do you know?"

"Because I love you, and you love me."

He wrapped his arms around me and I closed my eyes. Please don't hurt him, whoever the heck created this Elf, never hurt him. I prayed silently. "Love is a powerful word Faerlian." I said softly. "And I love you."

* * *

So...did I get any smiles:) This was a HAPPY chapter. And all my readers know how rare those are. :) I will try to update again soon, but I'm not making any promises... reviews are helpful for my ego:)

Thanks to Kiann, my beta, and to all my reviewers!

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED...


	15. GoodBye

Chapter Fifteen

Good Bye

* * *

"Where were you yesterday?"Araviniel asked as she approached me in the yard. "I came to see you in the morning, but Mirlaic said you had gone."

I looked up at her as she said this while I groomed Talorta in the stable outside. I grinned, blushing slightly, "I was at the stream."

Araviniel's eyebrows rose in an elegant arch. "Oh? And what were you doing there?"

"Faerlain wished to see me." Talorta bobbed his head and knickered. "I'm sorry Talorta, I didn't think you would want to come." I said teasingly, I patted his neck and laughed as he raised his head and stuck out his lips in defiance.

"Well said Talorta." Araviniel replied. "So...what happened?"

I did not answer at first, my smile just grew wider and wider until I was sure she knew just by looking at me. Then I leaned over and softly told her the events of yesterday in her ear. It was the highlight of my day to see her expressions change. By the end she still wore a smile, yet it was bittersweet.

"Sometimes I too wonder if immortality is a gift or a curse." She said when I at last finished. She sighed, stepping closer to me and taking both my hands into hers. "He was sad today. You should go to him."

* * *

I knew where he would be instantly as if I had been drawn to him by an invisible string. He stood still, leaning up against they tree. He did not stir at my approach so I knew immediately that something was wrong.

"Suilad." I said, standing on tip-toe and placing a kiss on his cheek. His grey eyes caught mine and he smiled slightly.

"How did you know I was here?"

"The wind told me." I stood in front of him and slipped my arms around his waist. "Araviniel said you were not at rights. Is something wrong?"

He rested his chin upon my head and sighed softly. "My sister knows me far too well." He pulled apart from me, holding my shoulders and looking into my eyes. "Victoria, I've been called up."

I blinked, "What?"

"My battalion has been called up." He did not meet my gaze.

"The fighting is at its brink, it has turned into a full scale war. Large armies of orcs have crossed the river, Isen. They come close to Fangorn and are heading towards us. We have been called to fight."

I swallowed the cry that threatened to escape my lips and I held back my tears. I forced a smile upon my trembling lips and turning his face towards me again. "Is that the worst?" I asked in the lightest tone I could muster.

He shook his head, "I leave at dawn."

Ouch. That was the worst. I brushed his lips with a gentle kiss. "I can wait. Not forever mind you, but I can wait."

He looked full at me again, his eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You will?"

"Or course! Did you think I would abandon you now? I love you Faerlain, I will wait."

"I was afraid that..."

I placed my finger on his lips, silencing his unspoken fear. I smiled slightly, "Do not be afraid."

"I cannot give you a proper wedding. When I come back..."

I silenced him again. "A wedding? Does this mean you are asking me to marry you?"

He smiled, issuing a small laugh. He looked at the river, then back at me. "I went to fast didn't I? Now...how is it they do it where you come from? Oh yes..." He kneeled, looking up at me so that I couldn't help but smile. "Victoria Saronedhel,"

I blinked again in confusion, "Lover of Elves." He whispered to me.

"Oh. Start again."

"Victoria Saronedhel, will you consent to be my wife?"

"Do you even have to ask?" I pulled him to his feet and kissed him again.

"Wait good sir, you have no ring."

He paused at this, then smiled as he recollected something. "No, I don't." He reached inside his shirt and pulled out a medallion that hung on a silver chain. "Will this do until I get one?"

It was a silver medallion, with a blue horse etched in the center. It sparkled in the sunlight, he took it and placed it around my neck. I could feel the warm metal against my chest. I looked up at him, "It's beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"It doesn't matter." He replied. "Will it suffice?"

I smiled, nodding. "Yes. It will." He was silent again, he gazed deeply into my eyes, brushing stray locks of my brown hair away from my face. He was smiling still, though I still saw the look of sadness in his eyes. I took his hand in mine and squeezed it encouragingly.

"When you come back, we will do everything right."

For the first time that day, I saw the true smile I had grown to love so much and then he kissed me tenderly. I was glad I made him happy, but the medallion soon grew cold, a reminder that he was not with me. For ever with all my reassuring words and promises, I was heartbroken. And even remembering our kisses and the thought of us married could not ease my tears that night.

* * *

I stood out in the street that morning. It was windy, and the warmth from the sun seemed to have vanished with the departure of Faerlain's battalion. Cudir had to go as well. Mirlaic, Alphril, Araviniel, Ana, Elenowen with little Turwethiel in her arms, and I all stood with the rest of the villagers as the warriors filed out of Gilloth. Before his disappeared into the forest, he turned and met my gaze. He nodded, smiled sadly, and for the second time I watched him leave Gilloth with my silent tears falling behind him.

* * *

Another sad chapter. Sorry everyone! But I hoped you enjoyed the previous one. :) I hope and plan to update soon. :) Please review!

Thanks to Kiann and to all my readers. :)

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED...


	16. Caden

Disclaimer: I haven't written one of these in a while. - Don't own any of Tolkien's characters, only my own creations.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen 

Caden

* * *

In a slightly cold and heartless way, life in Gilloth continued as it always had. As if Faerlain had never come or gone for that matter. But he had come into my life and now nothing was the same. I couldn't do much of anything without my thoughts turning to him. 

The weeks passed, I was now twenty. I turned such shortly after the Spring Festival. It was funny, when I had led Talorta into that trailer nigh on two years ago...being in this place would have never even entered my mind. Not only was I here, but if given the choice to go back...I'm not sure I'd want to leave. An immortal held my love, he would always hold my love. Why had fate so cruelly chosen me? I knew I in turn would never stop loving him. I knew I could never deny him again as I had done the year before at the Harvest Festival. Ironic, I had first realized my affection for him that day when he found me dancing in the forest. Our meeting reminded me painfully of Luthien and Beren. Only their tale had ended with an 'happily ever after'.

Would I be as lucky?

* * *

Spring rolled into summer and still Faerlain did not come home. Rumors had begun to reach us of the War in the Far East, in a land called Mordor. Mirlaic was hesitant to ever speak of Mordor. She said an evil had grown there that did not deserve to be spoken of. She said some things were better left without recognition. But how could I ignore them if this evil was the exact thing Faerlain was now fighting against? 

Her belief did not stop the talk around the village however. Gilloth was on the borders of an old highway that led straight through the forest to the palace. We never used to get visitors ...well...except for me. But now with the war our little village was no longer as quiet.

The local inn was always packed with travelers. And as time passed, Araviniel was called to the palace by request of the queen and with the coming of the warmer weather, I found myself spending more and more time outside and less time at Mirlaic's flet. I took Talorta out more often into the woods, sometimes braving it's depths and exploring a little, always keeping close to the old highway. For being in the daily bustle of the village was a sharp reminder that while I was safe here, Faerlain was out fighting a war. I fondly fingered the medallion of the horse he had given to me. It was silver, with the rearing image of a blue sapphire horse in it's center. I ran my fingers over it and sighed, lately I had been feeling like this medallion was the only part of Faerlain I still possessed.

Sure, Elves are immortal but it doesn't mean that they cannot die in battle. Everyday felt longer then a lifetime. I mean, last time he had gone I had missed him a little, but this time...frankly we were sort of in love. So it was different in a sense that now I felt incomplete without him.

The travelers came and went, a few were humans which surprised me. I hadn't seen my own kind in years. They were messengers, of all kinds and genders, on their way to the palace. Most were Elves, but the few men who did come all had the same look. The look of woodsmen, rangers s Alphril called them. They stayed for short periods of time, leaving as quickly as they had come and disappearing into the bleak nights.

We received no word from Faerlain over that time and none of his battalion. I was almost starting to think about leaving Gilloth to find him when on a surprisingly chilly night, Gilloth received the most odd stranger of all.

* * *

He was a wizened old man, his back bent from age and as I sat astride Talorta while we walked home after a hard ride in the woods to Mirlaic's flet, I saw him sitting by Alphril's shop. His cloak was of a deep, hunter green. Mud-splattered, which told tales of long journeys and distant lands. He looked up with a smile and waved, his long grey hair and beard blowing softly in the evening breeze. "Hello there." He said in a clear voice. 

The manner in which he spoke was not what surprised me, it was the _way_ in which he spoke, he spoke in the common tongue, a tongue I had not heard in a long while. Even the travelers from the battle fields did not speak such as he. I slowed Talorta to a halt and looked at him.

"Hello." I replied.

"Beautiful horse you have there, unusual color."

"Thanks."

"Talorta is his name isn't it?"

I blinked my jaw dropped slightly. There was mirth in the old man's eyes as he watched me. "How did you–"

"No matter, no matter." He cut me off with a wave of his hand. He had risen to his feet now, leaning on a intricately carved staff, the sun was setting, refusing me the privilege of studying it in greater detail. I dismounted and led Talorta over to him. He smiled and rubbed Talorta's velety nose as we stopped in front of him with his gnarled hands. Then at last he turned back to me,

"Forgive me, I have failed to introduce myself. My name is Caden." He bowed his head slightly, still smiling.

"I'm-" I started, but did not get to finish.

"Oh yes, I know who you are. Victoria Knightengale I believe."

I stared in wide-eyed astonishment. Who was this stranger who pretended to know so much about me? "I'm sorry...have we met?"

"No." He said thoughtfully. "Not that I can recall." He paused, studying my face and then frowning as if he has just remembered something unpleasant. "Come and see me tomorrow. It grows late and I grow weary." He said after a moment of silence, he drew up a long green hood.

"Where?" I asked, it was strange, but suddenly I felt an urgency to speak with this man...no matter what. He pointed to the woods.

"I'll be there. I never liked houses, no room to breathe. A good, solid tree is all I need."

My mind was numb, who was he? I started to mumble, "Be careful, the sp-"

"Of the spiders, yes, I know. Thank you for your warning, but I've been here before." He said this not in a reprimanding manner, he was soft spoken. Every sentence had a ring to it as if he wanted to laugh but wanted more to talk.

"Oh."

"Good. I'll see you in the morning."

He turned and hobbled toward the forest under the growing cover of darkness. I stared after him until he disappeared from my sight in raw wonder. Well, I would be seeing more of this man for sure. I mounted Talorta and set off for home at a brisk trot.

* * *

I did not tell Mirlaic about Caden that night. It just seemed...I dunno...something that should be kept a secret. Mirlaic and I didn't talk as much as we used to nowadays. She knew I missed Faerlian, missed him with my whole being, but she didn't want to put into words what I already knew. 

That a love affair between a mortal and immortal would only end in tragedy and loss.

So we remained mostly silent, speaking only when necessary. I saw little of Ana or Elenowen, I wasn't sure...but I think it was because I was avoiding them. It was a subconscious feeling, one that surfaced very rarely, if at all. Slowly, bit by bit, I could feel myself losing my affection for this place...and the people in it. Or maybe it wasn't so much as a loss of affection or a fear. That they would be taken from me as cruelly as Faerlain and my own family had. I didn't know...it was all too confusing.

I went to bed after quiet reassures from Mirlaic and an affectionate kiss on my part. Differences or no, she was the closest person to a mother I had right now, and I loved her as such. My room was silent, the breeze not heavy enough to even rustle the leaves. I fingered the horse medallion once more as I slipped under my blankets and just before I was lost to reality, I made a firm resolution to go see Caden tomorrow.

* * *

It was strange, the whole thing. Not strange, weird, out of the world, alien. How did this old man know a name I had told to no one, not even to Mirlaic from the day I had first awoken here? And stranger still, as I rode out to the woods to see him that morning, almost convinced he had been a dream, there he was. Sitting by the stream, leaning against the tree I had often sat under so many times. He looked up at me and smiled as I dismounted and let Talorta wander in search of food. 

"Good. I had hoped you would come early."

I stared at him for a moment, slightly shocked and slightly skeptical. "How did you know I would come at all?"

"It is my business to know such things." He said simply, he was smoking a large pipe, blowing smoke rings and numerous other shapes that caught my eyes for a number of minutes. "Come." He said, pointing to a patch of grass opposite of him. "Sit. We have much to discuss."

I blinked, my legs felt wooden as I dragged them into place and sat nervously across from the green cloaked stranger. I sat down cross-legged and looked expectantly at him, but he said nothing. He studied me with a curious expression on his face. His eyes traveling all over my body, resting for a while on the medallion which rested on the folds of my bodice. "Yes. I had expected that." He said at last, taking a whiff of his pipe.

"Expected what?" My mind was hazy, buy as I said these words it suddenly cleared. I looked sharply at him. "What am I talking about? What am I doing here?"

"These are very good questions." He said in all seriousness.

"What? Oh. And who the hell are you?"

He frowned slightly at my slip of nasty language, I couldn't help it. Caden seemed to know so much, but said so little. And this was starting to drive my crazy. Was I crazy? Maybe he was a hallucination, after all, it wouldn't be impossible with everything that was going on in my life right now.

"No need for such words, though they were not unexpected as well. I suppose you are wondering why I have asked you to come here."

"Only a little." I said in a flat tone, my arms crossed over my chest as I stared at him. My anger surprised me, it had come suddenly, unbidden. But now I felt no desire to brush it away as I grew more wary of the whole situation...and especially of Caden.

Caden had clear green eyes, they were the color of a young leaf or fresh piece of grass. Looking both young and unmistakably old and wise at the same time. He was smiling again as if I had just said something remarkably funny.

"Well, I came to bring news."

"From whom? I don't even know who you are." I said hotly, I was beginning to feel more stupid by the minute.

"I told you, I am Caden. I am simply, Caden, nothing more, nothing less."

"All right Caden, what message did you have for me?"

He was silent, he looked straight into my eyes and said, "One who loves you wishes you to know he is well. That he has not forgotten you, and that he loves you."

I stared, blinked, my mind starting to cloud over again. If this was some sick joke I was going to strangle this old man with my bare hands. But...but what? But a lot of things. For one, he knew my name. He knew Talorta's name. He knew who I was. My words came out in a hoarse fashion.

"You mean...Faerlain?"

He blinked, watching me with those green eyes. He sighed, the smile disappearing. "I'm afraid I can tell you no more. You will have to come back tomorrow."

"What?" The fog lifted. "You mean that's it? That's all your going to tell me?" I wanted to swear, a feeling I had not felt a single day in my existence in Gilloth.

"That is all. Come back tomorrow, maybe I will have more for you then."

"_Maybe_?" I asked in disbelief. I was standing now, my fists clenched at my sides. "How do I know you not just some cheap con-man out to get me and tear my heart in two?" I shouted. How dare he! How dare he presume to use me in this manner! "Who do you think I am? Your toy?" I didn't know what made madder, the fact that he had thought he knew who I was or the feeling that he was playing with my heart. The truth was, he hadn't even scratched the surface of who I was, and it infuriated me that he could pretend to know.

Caden sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I cannot tell you anything more right now."

"Oh really? How can you play with people like this? Doesn't it bother you?"

"Victoria, I am not playing with you."

"So what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to help you."

His voice sounded old and weary all of a sudden, and in a instant my anger began to fade away. "Help me with what?"

"The one who asked me to bear this message was not the one you call Faerlain."

"Then who was it then damn it!"

"His name was Zachary."

The all too familiar name slapped me in the face, pains filled my chest. I could see him falling off Talorta, the fence snapping under his weight. "_What_?"

"Come see me tomorrow." Caden said, he closed those strange eyes and turned away.

I backed away, staring at him. Then in one violent motion I ran to Talorta, leaped onto his back, and spurred him back to the village, leaving Caden behind by the stream with a trail of my tears to follow.

* * *

Twisty, twisty, twisty! Angst, angst, angst! Bet you all thought that lovely little message was from Faerlain didn't you? Huh? - Well, you thought wrong. I bet also that half of you forgot Zach already. Trust me, your not close to being out of the woods yet. Zach, (reminder: He's Victoria's dead brother) will be making a bit of a twist in the near future. In the mean time...who the heck is Caden? Some freak old man who tells messages from people who are suppose to be dead? I think not...though that's what he seems like right now doesn't it:) (wink) An update will come soon! In the mean time, why not humor me with a review? Who knows, with a little encouragement maybe this update will happen sooner then all of you expect... 

Namarie,

Luthien Anaclime

TO BE CONTINUED...


	17. Revaluation

Chapter Seventeen

Revaluation

* * *

"Are you feeling ill _iel_?"

Ill? Maybe. I felt light-headed and I couldn't focus on anything. It was amazing that I had made it back at all. Zachary...now that was a name I had not spoken, nor even thought of in...years. His death seemed to be a part of a distant past that was no longer a part of _me_. A past I had tried so hard to push away. My present and future were with Faerlain, in Gilloth, with Mirlaic, Araviniel, and Elenowen. In Middle Earth...my...my home. My former home...wherever it was, was no longer my home. Only a past place of residence. It had faded from my memory and I felt no desire to bring it back to the front of my mind. In fact, until just about now, I wouldn't of minded in the least forgetting those painful memories of my old home, my dead brother, and of my parents.

But Caden's words had brought it all back, the _old farmhouse on the hill...the riding arena with the broken fence...never repaired after Zach's fall...the drawn faces of my parents...the empty paddocks and barns. _Every minute detail...every word ever spoken that I had tried so hard to forget. And now it hit me so hard that it made me light-headed and breathless.

"Iel?" Mirlaic rose from her chair and placed a hand on my forehead. "O Elbereth protect us...your cold as ice!"

Was I? I was hardly aware of anything at all._..the sound of the fence snapping under my brother's weight...the way his eyes had opened wide as he laid there...still upon the ground...the line of blood sliding down the corner of my mouth...the recollection of me standing there...unable to move or breath. Just..._standing_ there. _All the emotions I had kept in check washing over me like a broken dam. I didn't feel sick...just winded. Actually...I didn't feel much of anything...numb. I felt numb.

"To bed with you! I do not know what ails you child, but we shall warm you up right away!"

I wanted to tell her everything, in that brief moment I felt an ache so strong for the matronly affection that my mother had spoiled me with in my youth. The trust I had... the ability to be able to tell her anything...not to fear holding anything back. I wanted to tell her about Zach...about home. She was a healer, maybe she could heal the rift in my heart. The rift that was bit by bit, tearing me to pieces. But my tongue felt like lead and my words would not come out properly.

"Mirlaic..." I mumbled in a feeble attempt, but she silenced me as she helped me to my feet.

"No words now." She said gently.

She slipped off my soiled dress and exchanged it for a nightgown upon entering my room. Sketches lay strewn about on the floor, decorating the wooden planks and also stuck to the walls.

"Come on now, right into bed."

I stumbled onto the warmth of the bed and laid still as Mirlaic drew up the coverd arund my body. She was worried, very worried.

"You will be all right iel." She said tenderly, "You just need some rest."

I looked up at her wearily. "Hannon le Mirlaic." I whispered to her in Sindarin. She smiled softly, bent, kissing my forehead. "You will feel better in the morning and then we will talk."

I didn't head her leave the room, I was unconscious even as she stood and removed her comforting presence from my body. And I was lost to all things.

* * *

_"Do you think things will always be this way?" I asked him as we sat outside on the hill outside our house, gazing up at the night sky and all the bright stars._

_Zach smiled warmly at me, taking my hand and squeezing it gently. "Why not? I wouldn't mind."_

_"People change Zach." I said quietly, trying to show him my fears in that small sentence._

_He understood. _

_"Vicky, my going to school won't change anything."_

_I sighed and I could feel him move closer to me. "Hey." He said, turning my face to him. "I will always be there for you, you got that?" He smiled, and I took his cue. He wanted me to smile in return, so I did. Zach hated when I didn't smile...I never knew why. _

_"Everyone changes...it's a part of growing up."_

_"Well, it's not a part of me."_

_I leaned on him, burying my face in his chest, breathing in the familiar smell of denim and horse mixed with the fresh scent of leather. "I love you Zach."_

_He chuckled, "That's good to know."_

_"Promise me you won't change?"_

_As children our parents had home-schooled us, we traveled far too often to settle down anywhere. But now Dad said this was our home, and we'd be staying. So Zach and I would no longer be together, he was to going to High School...the sound of which sounded so very far away._

_"I promise."_

* * *

_But he did change. He changed everything. The horses were no longer his pleasure, they were his machines. He rode them, competed in they shows with him. Then he discarded them like one discards an empty bag. He made friends, he got older, he went further out along his new path...and I was left behind. I was now only an annoyance, a necessary part of his world, a world which evolved solely around him. A world in which I was only a 'slave' to beckon and to annoy. _

_Suddenly he was no longer there when I wanted him. He no longer required my presence. That's when I had gotten Talorta, a gift from my parents. Perhaps they too had sensed the change in my brother and were trying to compensate for it. _

_I never asked Zach to ride Talorta that day. It was nearly three years after I had gotten him, and Zach had become intoxicated with himself and his own personal gain. And I hated him. _

_He had been jumping Talorta in the arena for hours, showing off for his friends. _

_The jump had been too high, the fence to close, he hadn't timed it right. Had been too reckless to be careful. The distance too short, but he spurred Talorta on and Talorta hadn't been able to make it. His back legs drug the jump down, propelling him forward, right into the oak fence. Talorta had screamed a high pitched whinny as he struggled to get up. But Zach had uttered no sound. He was strangely silent and still, but still yet I had not been able to grasp what had happened, my mind in a numb shock. _

_Even as his friend gathered around, I couldn't bring myself to go over. I stood there, and I couldn't help but think as his sightless eyes looked up to the sky, was how he had broken his promise. And that I would never forgive him for dying as long as I lived. There had been too many things left unsaid, too many hurts left unhealed. And I knew I would hate and love him until the day I died. _

* * *

_The next Spring had brought a painful type of healing. My parents, horrified at my brother's death, threw their careers in the equestrian world down the drain. One by one their magnificent horses left our farm, leaving the land with an emptiness that was hard to fathom. But I wouldn't let them take Talorta. Crippled, and half blind after the death of my brother, he was useless except to me. I became closer to Talorta then ever before as step by step I realized a change in my parents as well. _

_They were scared of me. _

_Scared of what would happen if I too died at the mercy of an animal. The pain they would have to go through if they lost me as well. And it tore them apart. My mother became distant, shying easily from answering my questions and generally avoiding speaking to me altogether. My father became violent, snapping at small mistakes and magnifying them. He wanted Talorta dead, and I would not let him have him. My horse, my friend. They loved me in a strange way, affectionate, yes...but I could see their fear written plainly on their faces whenever they looked at me._

_I think Talorta knew my needs, the ache in my heart over Zach's death, an event that was never discussed in my household. As I grew older, I ventured out further into the countryside surrounding our abandoned farm in search of a comfort to ease the pain of his passing, a passing that I had never accepted nor understood. And though I could not heal the terrible pain which plagued my heart, I instead chose to ignore it. And soon, Zach's death was only a fading memory I had pushed into the back of my mind. The pain silenced by sharp commands. _

_And my parent's fear of me...only a faint impression on my new, empty existence._

* * *

I woke up the next morning with the sun shining brightly into my room through the windows. Have you ever experience the sensation of waking up to such a beautiful day that you know everything else has to be all right? Well, that was exactly how I felt. I didn't want to recall the stream, Zach, the day before, or anything remotely related to Caden. I belonged here now, in some strange misplaced way, this place was now my home. And Caden was trying to uproot that feeling from beneath me.

I determined then that I would not go to see him again.

* * *

Any impulse I had to tell Mirlaic of Zach died by noon. I dunno, it was hard to...to talk about him...out loud. To speak his name, when for so long I had tried only to forget it. So I waited and was silent on the matter. Any frivolous notions I had of tossing Caden out of my mind however were not as easy. And it was with slow understanding I realized that it was not because I did not want to have the old man dig up more painful memories, it was because I was terrified of seeing him again. I was scared.

I rode Talorta as usual that day, this time however I avoided the stream and instead rode to the eastern borders of Gilloth. There was not much forest in that direction and Mirlaic had once told me that the toad itself led out of Mirkwood into the wilderness beyond. Gilloth was the closest village to the rest of the world, and yet were also secluded, too far north from the palace to attract much attention. The old highway, though traffic had increased due to the war, was our only link to others farther away.

I rode out far along the road, my mind ebbing into a flood of past discarded memories as Talorta plodded on in silence. It was strange that they should come back all at once, now. And as I rode on, I began to question the recent events which had resulted in this cascade of thought. How had Caden known of Zach? I mean, I loved Gilloth and everything in it. Yet how could I be sure it was real? Was I dreaming? Maybe. Was I in a mental institution somewhere? It was possible. Maybe Gilloth and Middle Earth did not exist at all. Maybe Faerlain was only a figment of my imagination. Yet if they were not real places...how had Caden entered into my fantasy? For I felt more alive and alone now then ever before.

None of this was making sense at all.

Talorta stopped suddenly, causing me to break my train of thought. I blinked, taking in the initial surprise of not knowing exactly where I was. Talorta's ears were pricked forward, a sign that he was alert and waiting for me to check out what he had seen. I followed his intent gaze, and my breathing constricted painfully as I did so.

"_Zach?"_ I asked in shock, but even as I looked upon him, standing tall and rigid in the road before me, his youthful face aged, fading into another. And there, in the same place where the vision of my dead brother, was Caden.

* * *

I can see a few brows raising. Who the heck is Caden you all ask? YOU SHALL SEE! MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	18. Interlude First

Chapter Eighteen

_Interlude One_

* * *

_His friends had not moved from the fence. One of them started to scream, a girl. A girl who called herself Angel. She was slim, showing by her manner of dress that all she wanted was the wrong kind of attention. Dad did not like her. Mom had not been able to control my brother's fancies. And now Zach was laying still, his neck twisted into such a fashion that I knew in an instant that he was not all right. _

_Angel was still screaming. Damned fool. She was a demon, I silently cursed her and her companions for driving my brother to this. But they hadn't really...he had changed all on his own. My head was swimming as I stared at the shaking body of Talorta who was trying desperately to get up off Zach. I ran to them, some of the boys standing next to Angel doing the same. The sun was shining in a way that was cruel...tormenting. Plaguing us with its brightness. I pulled Talorta up to his feet, his forehead was bleeding and his leg was twisted out. _

_But I wasn't crying. I was numb with shock. No. This couldn't have happened. A boy was hovering over Zach, the other yelling for my parents...running to the house. _

_"Zach...Zach...wake up." I let go of Talorta, moving over to the boy' side. His eyes were wide with fear, he looked up at me, jumped, slightly startled. "He's not breathing."_

That's because he's dead.

_I knew it in a cold, heartless way that was so utterly foreign to me that I was shocked further by it. Angel was still screaming. There were medics now, a vet as well. My brother's body was loaded into an ambulance...Talorta led into the stable. My parents drove to the hospital. But me, I stayed. I stayed by the fence post, looking at the snapped wood, the color of the dark blood which stained the both the wood and the ground dark. I had never seen blood like this before. I had seen wounds, horses in need of stitching. But this blood was different. _

_For I had never seen the color of death._

* * *

_I wondered if it felt cold inside his coffin. Could he feel the velvet lining? Would he smell the stench of the earth? Could he hear our voices? No. He couldn't. He wasn't there anymore. His body was only the vacant tomb. Was this death? Knowing that the person whom you loved was no longer there? The person only a tomb? If so, Zach had been dead for a long time. He looked peaceful in the coffin as they closed it and shortly after, laid him in the ground. Strange...I wondered where he was now. Could he see me? I had loved him, loved him dearly. And he had changed. _

_Angel was sniffing. She had loved him too. My face softened as I looked at her, the crowd was moving away. The service was over. I neared her and she looked up at me with wide, tear filled eyes. She was pretty and tragically sad as well. She had never seen the color of death either. It had frightened her. Was I frightened? I did not know. Did I miss him? I didn't know that either. _

_"You ok?" I asked her._

_She nodded slightly, knowing the meaning behind my words. _

_"You loved him too."_

_She nodded again, slowly._

_I looked at the gravestone, the only thing that would mark my brother's memory. _

_"Do you think he's happy?" She asked hesitantly. _

_I looked slowly at her. Angel was not religious, I doubted if she had any knowledge of heaven. Of paradise. Happy? I suppose so. How could anyone really know? Death was a mystery to me, an occurrence to me feared and generally ignored. My parents were calling me to come to the car. Angel was watching me wide eyes, her mascara streaking her pale cheeks. We had loved two very different parts of my brother. And now he was gone, his body lifeless...empty. Is that why we feared death? Because it was unknown? Because the one whom we had loved was no longer there? Disappeared, whisked away on a breath of air. Where was he now? Was he happy? I looked slowly at Angel, meeting her large dark eyes with my own. She wanted hope from me, words to comfort her. Was my brother happy?_

_"I hope so."_

* * *

_Talorta would never walk correctly again, the vet said. He was a crippled animal. He'd always be in pain, asked if I wanted him to be put down._

_I said no._

_He was half-blind as well, and soon he alone occupied the empty pastures of our farm. _

_I walked him to the arena and I looked at the broken fence, waiting to be repaired. I had loved him. It had hurt me terribly when I lost him. And now he was gone, for ever. Had he loved me? Had he ever been proud of me as I had been of him? Would he miss me?_

_And I realized as I stood there, that for the first time since he had died..._

_That I was crying. _

* * *

These were all memories if someone didn't figure it out. Hoped I made up for not updating with this double chapter. Updates will come soon!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	19. Truth

Chapter Nineteen

Truth

* * *

"_You_ have been avoiding me." He said.

I did not answer. My jaw had gone slack, my eyes glazed over. _How had he found me?_

"I told you, I have much to tell you."

* * *

I didn't know how exactly I had come to the glade. It was all so dreamlike, he had helped me to dismount, had led me and Talorta in the woods, had sat me down in front of him. He handed me a wooden cup that had something hot in it and told me to drink, so I did. I was shaking as I did so, a dull fear fogging my mind and making me unable to think clearly.

Caden sank down wearily across from me, his old features forming the slightest grimace as he did so. He was old, very old. His staff was laid out neatly next to him.

"How did you find me?" I asked, my words slurring a little as I did so.

He shrugged, "It was meant to be."

The tea-like drink was starting to clear my mind, my shaking ceased. "Why do you want me?"

"Want you?" He paused, looking up into my face. "I do not _want_ you. Want is a term used when someone has an the urge to own something that is not vital. No, I do not _want_ you. Shall we say, that you were given to me as a specific quest?"

"A quest?" I asked slowly.

"That's right."

"You speak in riddles." I said sharply... my head hurt. "Why did you look like my brother?"

"I look like your brother? He must be terribly old."

Why was he playing with me? Didn't he know it was hard enough to just sit and talk with him? I wanted to run from him screaming in terror. Talking was the only thing that was keeping me calm. And damn if I cared whether or not I was speaking politely to him.

"You're very..."

"Coy? Witty?"

"A smart mouth was more of what I was looking for." He sipped his tea though I did see a shadow of a smile pass over his weather-worn face. All right, this was good. I was driving back my fear. Actually, I wasn't. Caden was. It was like...I dunno...like he realized my fear of him and was trying to make me feel at ease. Which brought me back to my original question. "Why?"

Caden sipped his tea, did not look at me right away. "I did not look like him. You only saw what you wished to see."

"What?"

"It happens to many. It is just the way I am."

"What exactly are you though?"

He had met my gaze and I felt naked...alone...insignificant as I gazed back into his depth-less eyes. They were different from that of the Elves. Elves have ageless eyes but Caden's were like looking into the dawn of time and seeing both the past and future at once. It frightened me.

"I am...Caden. I tell what needs to be told. That is all you need know of."

"What do I need to be told then?" I snapped, he was wearing down my patience. "Why did I see my brother when I looked at you?"

Caden sipped from his cup once more and then set it down on the grassy earth beside him. He sighed, "It is a long tale, one that is not necessary for what I was told to tell you."

"I think it is necessary Caden. If someone in this place knows anything about me, and your suppose to tell me about it, then I would like to know a few things...and what I asked you before was one of them."

"Well...all right." He grunted, clearly displeased at having to obey my request. "I am one of five who were sent to this...world with a purpose. Each of us has a different task...each possessing a different authority over the other. I am the least of my fellows, Caden the Green is my full name. And the head of my order is Saruman the White."

"So what exactly are you...angels?"

"I the term we prefer is, 'counsler'. But I've also been known as a wizard many a time in my life."

By the looks of him, that time span must have been pretty long. "Wizard...so can you do magic?"

"By what do you mean magic? Can I make a person disappear, no. Can I make flame for a small fire, yes, but anyone could do that."

"So what do you do?"

"I deliver messages to those who are unable to do it themselves physically and occasionally I foretell a small part of the future. A future that can be and will be decided my preceding events and therefore is liable to change."

"Well, if the events can change thus editing the future you told...can that really be considered telling the future?" I asked in confusion...this conversation was getting verrrrry deep.

"In some ways you have a point, but I do not just tell the future. I can, at times, see fate. An occurrence that will happen because it was designed to by hands we shall never be able to fathom. Fate and future are two very different things."

I nodded, I was slowly starting to get a small grasp of what he was telling me. "So...why did you give me a message from...from–my brother." I said hesitantly.

"Ah, that is something I cannot explain for you if you do not already know. But I have a feeling he wished for you to know it for a reason."

* * *

_He would never know the pain that I felt in his passing. He would never know, would never see the tears I had cried. I sighed, closely my eyes briefly and then opening them once more. A light mist had drifted in over the farm, me and Talorta had gotten up early to go for a ride._ _I stared out over the farm, glancing at the empty pastures and deserted barns. Where had he gone? Why was there nothing left of him here? What happened? Angel's question haunted me, _Do you think he's happy?

_Was he happy? I still did not know. I feared death, I realized, I feared it because of what Zach's had done to my family's...to me. What we had left was an empty shell...a broken existence. One that I didn't know how to fix. One that I doubted I could ever fix. Perhaps I would forgive him one day. Perhaps the anger and terror of his passing would leave my soul. But what if that never happened? Would these questions always torment me? Would they always haunt me?_

_Would I never be free? How could he leave me like this? Didn't he know he had wounded me deeply, a wound that I knew would never heal. So was he happy? Was there a true paradise behind that black curtain? Was there a place that he had escaped to? Was there a place where we would be together again? Would I ever forgive him? Would he forgive me?_

_I had lost hope for him. I had lost my faith in him. I had stumbled, failed to be there when he needed me the most. Was I only paying back a debt? Was I only returning the deeds he had done to me? Or was I striking back with petty vengeance? Striking back in the only way I knew. The back curtain of death was horrifying to me. Could I ever love him again? Where had he gone?_

_Why had he forgotten me?_

* * *

Caden was watching me with a clear, all knowing gaze that sent cold shivers down my spine.

"Was there anything else my brother wanted me to know?" I asked hoarsely, fighting back tears as I spoke.

Caden nodded slowly. "He wants you to know that you also will be happy when the time is right."

I will be happy? Wasn't I already happy? No...I wasn't. Faerlain was out fighting a war and I was stuck here in an ancient village playing house. Damn. Until just about now I thought I was fine. "Thank you." I whispered, my tears starting to flow despite my attempts to quiet them.

Caden nodded, paused, then hesitated. As if he had just thought of something else to say and did not want to say it. "There is more." He said slowly.

"What more? Just throw it at me, this day couldn't get any worse anyway."

"Victoria?" I turned at the sound of my name from down the road. It was Mirlaic. I blinked in surprise, rising to my feet and greeting her with a wave. "Over here!" I shouted, good, someone stable. Someone who would make me sane once more. I turned back to introduce Caden to Mirlaic... but he was gone. Talorta was looking at me expectantly, but besides him, there was no evidence that anyone but me and Talorta had ever stepped foot in the forest glade.

* * *

"Why were you on the old highway?" Mirlaic asked me once we had reach home. The walk back had been mostly silent, I had no idea what to say, and she no idea as to what to ask.

I put Talorta in his stall and fed him supper, then I retreated into the house for my own meal. I was setting the table as Mirlaic asked me this, and I paused in my task to look up at her.

"I saw the old man again."

"Oh?"

"Yes...well...it is a very long story."

"One I should like to hear." She brought a pot of steaming soup to the table, setting it down gently and then turning to look at me. "I've been worried about you. You haven't been yourself since Faerlain and Araviniel left."

No kidding.

"Things have changed. This place...these people...everything is different."

Mirlaic frowned, an expression which rarely crossed her face. "You have changed." She said softly. "Who was this man?"

I blinked, sitting down opposite of her at the table. "His name was Caden."

* * *

Well. I'm sure some of you are scratching your head in raw wonder at this startling new development. :) Now, before anyone bites my head off, Tolkien does mention that there are five Istari in Middle Earth. However, he only mentions three, Saruman, Gandalf, and Radagast. So, I decided that we needed another one so Caden came into the story. I do not believe in fortune telling and if you picked it up, neither does Caden really. Because I believe we make certain choices which result in our futures, I believe we all have a purpose, but unless we take the right path towards that purpose, then it cannot be. :)

Anyway, there is a new mystery coming up so brace yourselves:)

TO BE CONTINUED...


	20. Hate

Author's Note: All right, now my main plot is about to kick in. Brace yourselves, we're going for a ride! The rating applies for violence in this chapter and few of those which will follow it.

* * *

Chapter Twenty

Hate

* * *

Mirlaic's eyes widened and she took in a sharp intake of breath, her face losing its rosy color.

"Mirlaic!" I asked in alarm, reaching out to take her hand. "What's wrong?"

She stared at me with her eyes slightly glazed over, "What did you say his name was?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Caden." I replied hesitantly.

She shuddered as I said that name, and a tight knot formed in my chest, my nervousness intensifying. "Mirlaic, what is wrong?" I asked again, squeezing her hand to attract her attention, to bring her back to me. The look of fear and sorrow in her eyes frightened me, and with anything in my power I wanted it to disappear. "God dammit! What's wrong?" I shouted, she seemed not to notice, turning to me slowly.

"Victoria, this Caden...he came to this village once before."

"Yes...so what of it?"

"The day before we heard of the battle. The day before I found out about Tatharion. A stranger came to the village, a stranger dressed all in green..."

* * *

_His cloak was mud-splattered. He carried a long, gnarled staff and a long, grey beard fell from his wizened face down to his chest. But it was his eyes that frightened me the most. Ancient and all-knowing. Like looking into the depths of the sea... He was not like any of the other mortals who had visited our village before. I stopped and stared, my sister, Ana, followed my example. He was shouting outside the village inn, most of the people mainly ignored him. _

_"There has been a great battle!" He said, "You must send out patrols to retrieve your wounded!"_

_He was attracting a large crowd of elves, all clamoring to hear what he had to say. _

_"Who are you old man? What business do you have here in Gilloth?" Said one elf. _

_"My name is Caden, and I have come to give tidings in this dark hour. Quickly! Many will die...few will survive without help."_

_I thought of Tatharion and I shuddered. _

_"Mirlaic, come, we should go." Ana whispered to me, tugging at my arm. But I could not obey my younger sister's pleas. _

_"He speaks of our armies." I said to her in reply, resisting her frantic wish to leave. Then the old man...Caden...turned to me. His depthless eyes locking onto mine and all fell silent. "He will not survive if he does not receive aid." He said slowly to me, my heart began to beat faster against my chest. "He will not come home unless he is attended to."_

_Who! My mind screamed, no words would come out. _

_"Until who gets help?" Asked Ana from beside me. _

_No, don't answer...please... "Tatharion." Caden replied calmly, that was all I heard. For after that, I passed out._

* * *

"...he was gone the next morning. Shaken and unnerved by the traveler's claim, many elves set out for the borders for signs of battle... to see if his claim had been true. It had. Everything had been true, all the curses and commands. Many warriors had been wounded, many more were killed. When they brought home Tatharion so ill...I didn't know what to do." She finished in a shaking voice. She looked into my face, searching my brown eyes. "What did he tell you?"

I met her gaze with an unwavering one of my own. I didn't want to tell her, there was no need. Shame welled up in my chest, replaced by anger, and then fear. My eyes darkened and I turned away. "Nothing...he told me nothing."

* * *

I did not see Caden again after that strange occurrence. I was afraid now...mortally afraid if he had anything else to tell me. If Faerlain ever left for Valinor...I would not be able to go with him. It was a safe haven only for the Elves. Only for the immortal. And I was mortal. I was human. I was everything that Faerlain didn't and shouldn't have...and yet he did. I loved him and he loved me. What good could ever come of this?

Mirlaic looked unwell for a long time after I told her of the Istari, as he called himself. Yet now I wasn't sure if he even existed. I mean, people have had worse dreams right? But deep in my heart I knew that no matter how hard I tried... I knew he was real. And no matter how many times I tried to convince myself...that he was probably still waiting for me.

* * *

I do not know what made me ride along the old highway once more nearly two weeks later. Whether it was some sort of foolish bravado or a test...I do not know. All that I do know is this, that as I listened to Talorta's hooves hitting the ground as we continued...I felt like I was knocking at death's door. I was terrified of what Caden would tell me if I saw him again. What news he would give me...if he had any at all. And mostly I was afraid of seeing the image of my brother again. For seeing Zach again would only be a reminder that I was mortal and that I too...would someday die as well. I rode out far from the village this time. Wishing and dreading to see Caden once more.

"I knew you would come back."

The all too familiar voice made me quake as I stopped Talorta and turned him around to look at him. Caden was seated astride a bay horse, who stood as still as its master while Caden looked on at us. He seemed...sad.

"If you have something you wish to tell me, speak it and be gone. I wish not for you to haunt me any more." I said loudly, my voice shaking slight as I hoped my tone would increase my bravery...

It did not.

"Do not fear child." Caden said wearily, not taking his gaze off of me.

"Do you have a message?"

"Yes."

"Then speak it." I said far more sharply then I had intended, my hand trembling as then gripped Talorta's flaxen mane.

Caden caught my eyes and sighed. "It is always the same." He said, sounding suddenly very old and tired.

"What is?"

"The War of the Ring goes poorly with the men of the west. Sauron's armies mass across the lands of the world with only a few to stop them. The battle on your borders is not least of all."

"What are you telling me?" I demanded, my voice shaking worse still and a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead.

"Only this, that the soldiers on your eastern borders have been attacked, they need reinforcements."

"From where!" I demanded. "All the young elves have already gone from the village...there is no one left."

Caden froze, his eyes glazing over and his face growing pallid. I gaped in horror as his head rolled back. Then, after what seemed like hours he sat up again, his face alert and fearful. He spurred the black horse forward.

"You must leave...all of you." He said, his voice rising. "This village is no longer safe."

"We have others to protect us." I retorted, surely fighting would not be our only way out? But...way out...the way out from what? Why did we have to leave? What was wrong?

"There will be no time for others to come. The nearest village is ten miles away from here. There are enemies coming, you must leave now or it will be too late."

"Too late...too late for what?"

"I must go warn the other villages. Take my message back to Gilloth. Alert everyone that they must leave...now."

"Caden that is..."

"Unless you all want to die I see no other choice." He said icily. "Enemies will reach you with a week, there is no time to spare. You have no warriors, your own are fighting a failing battle. You will find strength and courage in numbers, make for the other village, go quickly."

"Caden I-"

But he had gone, his horse galloping down the highway and disappearing under the curtain of trees.

* * *

I rode back quickly to Gilloth...still unsure of whether or not to believe Caden's message to be true. My heart had begun to pick up its pace and the air and a stillness that blanketed the forest in a sort of dread that was making me nervous. I pushed Talorta into a gallop until we reached the village.

Everything was fine. The streets bore the usual bustle of the village, I could see Ana and her friends romping around, giggling and laughing as all children should. There were no young warriors, all who had been old enough had left for the war long ago. The small shops scattered here and there were crowded with buyers, the inn filled with those fond of drink. Most of the men were already in the fields.

And everything was so calm that I felt my mood darken as I thought of my nervousness and anxiety. But then there was a cry from the woods and a small elfling came running into the square. It was a young boy, not more then 10 by mortal standards. I watched as he ran into the village from the forest, he was screaming.

'THEY'VE TAKEN HIM! THEY ARE COMING!' He shouted, tears streaking his face. A matronly elf ran over to him, her dark hair pulled into a dark braid which ran down her back.

'Nírorn? What foolishness is this? Where is your brother Tathar?' She asked concernedly in Sindarin.

"They've taken him.' He sobbed,'It is all my fault.'

'What has happened? Tell me what has happened Nírorn!" Demanded the elf, now looking anxious.

'Tathar and I went into the forest to climb the trees. We heard noises down below on the forest floor and I dared him to see what it was. We were frightened, but he took my dare. He climbed down the tree and then he did not come back. I was too scared to call his name, so I waited for him to return.'

'You two left before dawn, surely he had come back...?'

'He did not Mama. I waited for hours. I crept down to the floor and I could not find him...but...but...'

'But what?' She demanded, shaking the boy's shoulders and attracting a crowd.

'I found ears on the forest floor. Pointed ears. They were all bloody, so I did not recognize them at first, there were deep footprints in the earth, heading for the neighboring village.' The elfling sobbed harder, burying his face in the woman's skirts. 'They were Tathar's ears Mama, I just know it! It is all my fault..."

A cry of alarm ran up from the villagers, the butcher, innkeeper, and several of the older male elves gathered around the group of worried women who were looking anxiously around for their husbands.

'You say you saw ears Nírorn?' Asked one, the elfling nodded through his sobs, now unable to speak.

'This is impossible!' Said one.

'No one could attack us so close to the palace, they would have to come through our lines...' Said another.

My face blanched and I let out a gasp. The mother of the elfling looked up at me, her gazed followed by several of the other elf women.

_"...the soldiers on our eastern borders have been attacked, they need reinforcements."_

I did not stop to listen, I ran the rest of the way home.

* * *

"Mirlaic, I saw him! I saw Caden!" I shouted as I banged through the front door into the main room of the flet.

Mirlaic hurried out, her creamy skin pale and drawn.

"He said that our warriors have been attacked, that their lines we're broken. They need reinforcements!"

"He said these things to you?" Mirlaic asked in astonishment.

I nodded, "There's more. A elf boy just came back from the deep forest, he says there are intruders coming from the south, they are on their way to the closest village to us."

"Surely...surely this cannot be true?" Mirlaic said, her voice low now, her eyes wide.

I had no words to say to her, I could say or do nothing.

"Caden has never lied before." Mirlaic said slowly. I could feel the pain written in her face and evident in her words. Drawing her cloak from a hook on the door she turned to me, "Quickly, we must tell the others!"

* * *

This is impossible. There is no way. How could the enemy be so close?

Those were most of the reactions we received from the surrounding villagers. They did not believe me. I shouted until I was hoarse the words Caden had spoken to me, I had reminded them of Mirlaic tale, of his last visit to Gilloth. Some hurried home to prepare there things to leave this place. And the others...they laughed. The said I was crazy, said to go home. Told me that I should have never listened to Caden.

Nírorn's family left immediately to gather their things. They were going to the palace, their example was followed by a few of the other villagers, but the rest stayed behind. Sealing their fates. No defense was erected, none of the men armed. There would be no reinforcements for the warriors on the front lines, and there would be no safety for the elves of the village.

Mirlaic and I returned to the flet, but Mirlaic walked slowly, barely keeping up to my pace when normally she could have easily out-paced me. She did not meet my gaze when I asked her if she was all right. She did not answer as I asked her what we should do. And I somehow deep in my heart as a terrible ache consumed me that Mirlaic had made a decision as well...

She was not leaving Gilloth.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED... 


	21. No Lies

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tolkien's characters, his languages, or his world. I only lay claim to my plot and the random elves which I created.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

No Lies

* * *

She did not speak right away. We sat down at the oak table like we used to, to talk. Like we used to before Faerlain had left and Caden had come. Before the rift had grown between us. I jumped at every sound, blood pounding hotly through my veins.

"Victoria." She said slowly, brushing a stray lock of her dark hair away from her pale, drawn face. "I...I cannot leave Gilloth."

I stared in disbelief. "But Mirlaic...you cannot..._stay_. I told you what Caden said, we need to leave Gilloth or we will be murdered!"

She could not stay, it was not even an option...she knew better...she knew Caden would not lie. She knew he spoke the truth. She could not desert me like this, this place with her was all the home I had known for almost three years now. She could not abandon me now, she could not throw her life away so foolishly. She could not be condemning herself to this.

"If there is an attack, my people will need a healer. I cannot abandon them in their time of need."

"So you will abandon me? Condemn us to this death? This horror that you know awaits us if we remain here?" I asked angrily.

"No." She said. "I am not asking you to stay."

Her words hit me coldly, numbing me with the reality of the situation. She was not asking me to stay...she did not want me to stay. I was standing now...when had I risen? I didn't know...everything was blurred to me now. "You cannot do this Mirlaic! Think of what Caden said! Think of Tatharion! You will never see him again if you stay."

"I know what Caden said." Her voice broke. "Tatharion would understand that I must do this. I will be ready for what is to come." She looked deeply into my eyes, standing and placing her hands on my shoulders. I knew she could read the fear and pain that I held tightly in check. I knew she could see my anger. "This is not your fight. This is not your home. You know you will never be content here. You have come from another place Victoria, one quite unlike this. You should not die here, in a place that is not your home. For people who are not your own."

Hot, angry tears were flowing down my cheeks. "Mirlaic no..."

"If it is my time, then perhaps I will see Tatharion again. Who knows? Iluvatar is merciful, he will take care of us."

"Your God? Ha. What good will he do you, he is going to let you die."

Mirlaic shook her head wearily, "You do not understand. But I am no longer afraid." She looked back at me, "You are young, you do not care the burden of loyalty and love for my race. You must go."

I was crying, my anger burning a hole in my chest. "I love you Mirlaic." I said hoarsely, sniffling.

Mirlaic did not meet my gaze but I could still see the tears in her eyes.

"Please, do not abandon me now, do not condemn yourself to this."

"Victoria, you have felt loss and pain that I do not know and cannot imagine. You still have mysteries to uncover, new lands to explore. This fate is not one that belongs to you."

"Nor you! I cannot leave you!" I shouted, backing away from her and stumbling over my chair.

"You can do anything you set your mind to." She said softly, "You always have."

"Do not do this to me! Please, come with me?" I sobbed, my tears forming rivers down my cheeks. I turned away from her and in all of a moment I longed for her arms around me once more. I felt her touch, but it held no warmth, it only angered me more.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed, tearing myself away from her, I whirled, facing her with my eyes flashing. "You will die if you stay here! And I will be damned if I stay here to watch!"

"I will be able to help those I love." She said soothingly, trying to calm me.

"Do you not love me?"

"Of course Victoria-"

"No! You can't say that! You have no right!"

"I stay because I belong here." She shouted at me, her own anger rising.

"And what about me? Should I not also be complete? Where do I belong?"

"Victoria-"

I shoved passed past her, not uttering a word. I grabbed my bag which hung by my cloak on the wall. I threw the cloak over my shoulders as I ran out to where Talorta stood waiting. I saddled and bridled Talorta...something I had not done in years. I tied the bag to the saddle, then leaped astride him.

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed. "I HOPE THEY CUT YOU TO RIBBONS!" I screamed at Mirlaic. She did not want to come, she was no longer my affair. I galloped out of Gilloth towards the forest, ignoring Mirlaic's cries to stop, to come back. No, this was no longer my home. She was no longer my mother. She never was. She never had been. I did not care where I went, as long as it was far from her, far from that place. I rode all day and into the night. There was no moon underneath the black canopy of trees.

I had not expected to feel lonely or frightened, but I was. I could only hear Talorta's hooves thudding dully in my mind. I had not expected to feel cold or numb. I had not expected anything. But suddenly, there were cries all around me, screams of men and horses, shrieks from beasts I had never known.

I felt a sharp blow to my left side which knocked all the air from my lungs, I flipped off of Talorta's back...flying into something that tore and bit at my skin like thousands of needles. My world faded into night as the screams enfolded about me, the blackness took me...

...and I knew nothing more.

* * *

Has anyone started screaming yet? The main plot and violence is yet to come...none of you will even be able to imagine what is going to happen.

(Sigh) Right now I'm terribly depressed because I lost a ton of my reviewers. Anyone feel like making me feel better? I promise to give you all a free 'gílorn' (star-tree)! It would certainly raise my spirits...

**Reviewer Corner**:

Nethien: Glad you are enjoying my story. :) Thanks for reviewing!

Mystical Full Moon Maiden: A band name huh? That is strange...I got it from a horse at the barn where I work. It's from the bible, but sounded slightly Istari-ish to me. Thanks for reviewing!

**For all those who are reading (hopefully there are more) and have decided not to review, (sigh) thanks anyway!**

TO BE CONTINUED...


	22. Pain

Disclaimer: I do not own Tolkien's work.

Note: THE RATING APPLIES IN THIS CHAPTER FOR VIOLENCE

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two

Pain

* * *

_"I shall not say do not weep...for not all tears are evil."_

_-Gandalf_

* * *

I was wet and cold. Reality brought those two feelings first to me. The third, that I was in so much pain that I found difficulty in breathing, and fourth...

...it was raining.

I blearily opened my eyes, the left one was bloodied, a long cut ran from my left temple to the bridge of my nose. I blinked, letting the rain wash the blood from my eyes. Every part of me was aching with pain. I felt a wet nose gently nuzzle my broken body. I looked up, it was Talorta. His bridle was still intact...the saddle bags around his neck...the saddle itself was gone. Upon a quick glance I could see that his body was peppered with various cuts and bruises. I looked around, I was in a thorn bush, and all the thorns seemed to be jabbing into me all at once. A groan escaped my lips as I peered around. The forest glade was empty.

I willed my arms to move and I winced as I stiffly wiggled my fingers and pushed against the bush to sit up. My efforts were immediately rewarded with a sharp bolt of pain from my side. I sucked air in sharply in an attempt not to scream and I looked down at my side. The rain was coming down harder now, but even so, I could still see that my side was damp with blood.

An arrow was imbedded in the bush where my side had been. The arrow was covered with dark blood. The arrow had been imbedded in my side...I leaned back, losing the momentum and energy that was needed to get out of that bush. I felt Talorta nuzzle me again, I was sweating and shivering in the rain.

Where was everyone? Where were Faerlain and Zach...Faerlain...I could feel the metal medallion against my chest, the medallion of the blue horse. I weakly fished for it in my blouse and pulled it out, clutching it tightly in my hand. There was no warmth left in it however, nothing to recall to my mind the image of his face. The memory of his kisses nor the tenderness of his touch. A moan escaped my lips once more as another wave of pain tore through me. I looked up at Talorta who was hovering in front of me. I reached up slowly, biting my lip. I grabbed onto his mane, bracing myself for the pain that was to come.

I do not know how he felt my need, but he laid down beside me and I painfully crawled onto his wet back. He got up and I cried out as the pain in my side intensified. I wrapped his mane around my fingers and hunched forward on his back. He began to walk, and I closed my eyes...listening to the sound of the pouring rain, and realizing that I had almost no chance of surviving this night.

I needed help...

* * *

The sound of Talorta's hooves had stopped. I opened my eyes...when had I dozed off? Had it been hours ago? Days even? I lifted my head, peering into the mist. The rain had stopped, but now a thick fog had rolled through the forest. I felt a leap of relief flood through me like water when I realized the dark shapes that I could see through the fog...were cottages.

Talorta did not move as I squeezed his sides. His head was raised, his ears forward and alert. I squeezed his sides again, too tired to fight with him. _Move! I need help!_ I thought to him, there was no time for this. Talorta let out a high-pitched whinny which resounded through the darkness. But no one answered. I kicked him, hard this time and he moved forward...I heard something squish beneath his feet which caused him to shy. Too weak to hold on, I slid off his back and landed with a cry as the ground connected with my side. I felt something warm as well. Talorta was snorting with fear as I slowly sat up and bit back a cry.

Something wasn't right. I blinked the weariness from my eyes and brought my hand slowly to my face. It was covered with something warm...I looked down at the thing in front of me, blinking through the mist in an attempt to figure out what it was. I screamed as I realized what the object was. It was a dead horse...only the head was all that was there. The body was gone.

I threw up, emptying the contents of my stomach as I looked into it's lifeless eyes. Rising slowly I balled one of my fists and pushed it to my side that was bleeding profusely. The mist blanketed the silent village in a way that reminded me of the old horror films. Only this wasn't a movie...this was real.

Talorta walked around the horse head, snorting in fear and buried his head in my back. I walked slowly into the village and realized with growing horror that this village was Gilloth...

...and that no one was here.

* * *

The Star Trees were still in bloom...it seemed wrong that they should still be living when all else was silent. I had only recently learned their Sindarin name, _gílorn._ I stepped into the main street.

"Hello...is anyone there?" And I was rewarded with silence...deafening silence. The mist was starting to clear...I could see dark shapes huddled on the ground...my heart froze and I nearly fainted. For as the mist cleared I could see dark liquid running throughout the street and over the damp earth.

It was blood...and as far as I could see...the streets were lined with...with...I fell to my knees and began to scream.

The streets were lined with bodies...still bodies...the bodies of elven men, women, and children...

...they were dead.

* * *

Please let this be a nightmare, I begged, please let me wake up and let it have all gone away. But it wasn't a nightmare...it was all true. I screamed, releasing the pain that had been held deep inside of me for so long. I cried, I cried for Faerlain, for my friends, for my brother. For Zachary. I cried, and the rain came again. Talorta stood at the far end of the street, I let the rain consume me. Numbing my pain and dulling my senses...and then...I heard a groan...soft...hardly noticeable...I looked up...my tears slowing.

"Is someone there?" I heard a weak voice ask. I jumped, listening intently for where it was coming from.

"Yes...where are you?" I asked desperately.

The groan came again...I stood...painfully...and looked around. Then slowly I saw someone moving through the rain. I ran over, stumbling over the bodies of Elves...Elves I had seen living only a short while ago. Yet how long had it been? I didn't know...the time seemed blurred in my mind. I fell, landing on smaller bodies...with a growing pit of sickness growing in my stomach...I realized that the bodies were that of children. I stood quickly, the movement sending bolts of pain through me again and I vomited. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, tasting bile on my tongue. I blinked tears out of my eyes, the mist was returning...it was difficult to see. And I realized that, that, in itself, was a blessing. There was blood and mangled bodies everywhere...horses lay strewn about, their eyes till open in fear.

I stumbled once more, landing painfully on my knees and sinking into the mud and blood that surrounded me. And then, as I kneeled there sobbing, I saw a slight movement of a hand not two feet in front of me. I crawled towards it. I saw the figure, the chest still moving with painful heaves and gasps. I fought the urge to be sick as I stopped before it and saw blood soaking the figure's chest. It was cloaked in a dark, bloody green. The body itself tall and lanky. I looked again at the hand, a gnarled hand and a sickening hole grew in the pit of my stomach.

The face was facing away from me, summoning up any courage and sanity I had left, I reached out and gently pulled the figure over onto it's back.

I stared in wide-eyed shock at his pale face and slowly, his eyes opened. They were clouded, but as they focused upon me, he smiled. "Ah, Victoria. I had not expected you..."

"Caden?" Dry humor? Everyone in Gilloth was dead and this man was giving me dry humor? "What is that suppose to mean?" I asked softly, at a loss for words.

"I have the gift of foresight...yet I had not expected you-" He gasped, his face grimacing in pain. I ripped a piece of my dress off and pressed it to the wound on his stomach. It was bleeding profusely. His hand weakly grabbed my wrist. I looked back up at him, his face was so pale now...but he only shook his head.

"No." He said. "Leave it."

I let go of the cloth, staring at him. His eyes were already leaving me...the look coming that I had seen only once before...in the face of my dead brother. "What happened here? Who did this to you?"

"Orcs. They attacked late in the night. I had come back to warn them again when it happened. You were not here. They slaughtered them...the children..." He closed his eyes. "There was no time to run...they came from everywhere..." He gasped again. So soon, so soonnit would be over. The thought send cold chills down my spine...I knew it...I knew that he was dying. Funny, before I would have thought that Caden's death would have brought an end to my misery...now I wished for just the opposite.

"Please don't leave me." I whispered. "I'm so alone..."

He looked at me again, smiling sadly. "I am sorry Victoria." He chuckled softly. "Perhaps it was well that you were not here...then you would have been laying here too." I began to protest but her cut me off. "Listen to me Victoria." He said quietly. "The War is at its peak, there will be more blood-shed in this land then ever before-"

I cut him off, "But there is so much I do not understand-"

He gasped again, his grip on my hand becoming tighter. "Take my sword. It will protect you." He whispered.

"Caden?" I asked, no, please do not leave me here. Not like this.

"Victoria..." His voice was so soft that I had to lean close to hear him. "There is yet one more..."

"Who Caden?"

He was fading, his grip slackened. "Over there..." I turned to look, an I saw no one. I looked back at him frantically, he was slipping away so fast...

"Caden!" I called, my voice high-pitched.

"Believe." He whispered.

I stared, my mind numb. I released my grip on Caden and he fell to the ground. The rain pounded around me. I stood, clutching my side and staring at his body, now still. And it was then I heard it, very soft, coming from somewhere to my right, from where he had told me. It was my name, someone was calling my name.

_Dead, they are all dead, _my mind told me dumbly. I turned around, and through the mist and through all the bodies one face appeared. It was almost as if the mist opened up around me and revealed it to me. I saw her eyes, I saw her pale face. My heart plummeted and I ran. For through the mist I could see her staring at me...

...It was Mirlaic.

I ran to her, tears streaming down my face. I fell at her side, weeping. I laid at her side, my head resting upon her breast. She stroked my head, humming softly, like she used to when I was ill.

"No..." I cried. "Please...no..."

'Shhh...' She whispered to me in Sindarin. I sat up, clutching her hand and looking into her face. Mirlaic was smiling tenderly at me, but the blood...it was everywhere... 'Do not fear my child.'

'This is all my fault...' I sobbed, closing my eyes to block the image of her pale, pain-ridden face.

'No...' She said softly. 'This was my choice.'

'I could have done something...'

'Victoria,' She whispered, I opened my eyes to look at her. 'You already have. You lived.'

She was dying, like Caden...like Zach...she was fading before me. I clutched her hand tighter, willing my life to flow into her...to make her well. 'Mirlaic...'

'You gave me something I thought I could never have.' She said softly. 'You gave me my chance at being a mother.' She gazed momentarily up at the sky, the rain pounding on her face. She sighed, coughing as she did so...blood trickled out the corner of her mouth. She looked at me again. 'I am no longer afraid, I can face death just as you do.'

I couldn't breathe, I was losing her. 'Please don't leave me...' I whispered.

'Victoria, Caden told me...before the attack...that Tatharion had passed away.' I blinked in shock, shivering as the rain continued to pour down. She was smiling, now closing her eyes...the first time I had ever seen her do so. 'He is waiting for me.'

'Mirlaic, I'm so sorry.' I whispered. 'I should have been here...I could have saved you...' She looked at me, her thin fingers rested upon my lips. Her hair was dark with the muck about us, the rain soaking the ground...the blood forming rivers through the streets.

'You already have.' Her hand fell weakly into mine. She looked at me once more, smiled, she rested against the ground. 'Victoria...I love you.'

And I knelt there, staring at her as she closed her eyes, her mouth turned gently upward in a smile.

'I am home.' She whispered.

Thunder rolled overhead, Talorta whinnied nervously. The rain poured down on us, and like all the others...Mirlaic passed on.

Her hand no longer held onto mine. And I knew, as I knelt there...that she was gone.

* * *

How long I knelt in the mud I did not know. Mirlaic's body became cold, her body stiff. The rain poured, the thunder rolled. And I realized that now, I was truly alone. I felt someone nudge my shoulder and I looked back. It was Talorta, he was shivering due to the rain, his coat was dark. His eyes were large and worried, and it hit me quite un-expectantly that they were the first eyes that still held life that I had seen in a long while.

_Get up. _He urged.

But I had no will left, nothing to hold on to. I looked at all of the bodies, and I felt something grow inside of me...something that burned and festered. Something that did not lessen...only intensified. I rose, my side burning with pain. I looked around the village, the desolate houses, the still bodies. I walked stiffly over to Caden, bent, and with trembling hands I took the sword which he had died with in his hand. It was covered with mud, the blood washed away by the rain. I ripped my dress again, and upon taking the scabbard, fastened that to my waist. I held the sword tightly in my hands. My mind worked mechanically, forcing me to survive. I reached inside my tunic and squeezed my medallion. It brought me no comfort, only the cold reminder that Faerlain, like the rest, was probably dead as well.

I looked around the village...nothing was moving. It was over. My long hair fell in waves of knots, mixed with blood and grime, around my shoulders. I scowled at them...all the stillness. There was nothing for me here. I walked over to Mirlaic's body, and I stood staring at her. I looked at my hands, they were covered in blood. I did not know what to do...where to go...this place had been my home for almost three years. It was so hard to remember...the maps...all the lessons.

And in that moment...I realized with clam clarity that I heard voices. I turned slowly to them...the voices which were coming from the main highway on the other side of the village. I felt no emotion...only anger. They were _elves_.

My eyes narrowed. They had come to late, my grip on the sword became tighter...all my long lessons with Faerlain swirled in my mind. _The movements...the dances...I could see it all...left...right..._

I watched them, staring, my body still as if I had been turned to stone. They filed into the village, bows raised. Some now exclaiming curses or cries of grief. Yes, you see now don't you? You see what you have done? I gritted my teeth. It was all their fault.

Talorta whinnied anxiously and all of their eyes turned to me.

They stared for a moments, their eyes traveling from the sword, to my blood stained hands, to my ears. My plain, rounded ears. And I saw their hatred, and I saw their looks of disgust and anger. I saw them stare at the medallion on my chest. And I saw them all raise their bows. I heard their war cries, I saw them run for me. I snarled.

_Nin goheno Mirlaic. _

They charged me and I swung my sword at the first, it grazed his shoulder and knocked him back. There were too many. I darted from them, leaping with a cry of pain onto Talorta's back. The arrows flew around me, Talorta screamed in pain. I spurred him into the forest, his hooves ringing sharply on the forest floor, the wind bit my body and snapped my hair and clothes. The rain stung my face and still we ran on.

Darkness was falling, the thunder still rolled. We did not stop, we ran on and on, deeper into the forest until I could no longer hear the pursuit of the elven warriors, nor their cries. The rain washed any evidence of our existence away. And we ran further into the forests of Mirkwood.

And thus I knew, I would always be alone.

* * *

END OF PART ONE

* * *

Yep. I will not say anything because I know this chapter was terrible. But first, gilorn trees for you all! And I want you to know your reviews were VERY much appreciated. I was beginning to think that no one was reading this story after all...you all inspired me to continue...THANK YOU! I will update as soon as possible:)

I am one review short on 100! This is so exciting!

AmberRose: Thanks you so much. You have actually been a wonderful asset to my story. Thanks to you, I am no longer using 'grelvish. :)

Thanks a million to my beta, Kiann and to all who reviewed. I LOVE YOU ALL!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	23. Interlude Second :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's work.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three

_Part Two_

Interlude Second

* * *

_How do you move on? How do you continue each day knowing that nothing will ever be the same...and yet that you must try to continue as if it were. That you must do this in order to survive. I didn't know if I possessed the strength for that. _

_I stood at the summit of one of our farm's many fields. The wind was sharp and crisp as it traveled through the tall grass and whispered through the trees. Spring had come again, bringing life back to a place where there seemed to be no life left. _

_Only death. _

_I turned towards the horizon, looking out over the tree-tops. I heard a whinny and I turned again. I saw Talorta hobbling up to me, his shoulders swaying awkwardly to get the weight off of his left foreleg. I called him, cooing to him softly as he stopped beside me. _

_I rubbed his neck, running my hand over his scars. They had lessened now, only faint blemishes upon his skin. But they were still there, and they would always be a reminder of the past. I ran my hand again down his neck, felt the ridges of the scars. _

_I looked into his eyes and I saw blind faith and trust. _

_Was this how one healed? By letting the pain glide away? Then maybe it was better to forget. Maybe it was better to move on._

_Forgetting, sometimes, is the only thing that makes the pain go away. _

* * *

And thus begins Part Two.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	24. Too Long :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's works. I only lay claim to my plot and to my own characters.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four

_Part Two_

Too Long

* * *

_Mirkwood_

_Five Years Later_

* * *

"What do you think?" Asked the man atop the bay horse of the golden haired elf as they rode through the forest. The elf surveyed the approaching city with fond recollection. He smiled at the human, turning and slowing his white horse to speak to his friend.

"It is good to be home." He said, nodding as if to confirm his statement. The human smiled,

"Truth be told, I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come back." The man said. His garb was that of a noble, a leather tunic adorned with the white tree and seven stars of Gondor. A long scabbard was tied to his saddle, his dark hair pulled back into the fashion of a warrior.

A column of soldiers flanked the elf and man, both bearing the colors of their respective countries, Gondor and Mirkwood. The Elf smiled, his tunic and trousers were colored a dark green, the color of earth. His blue eyes wandered as the procession continued into the city. He had to hold back an amused chuckle as elves emerged from the flets and cottages which stood in various parts of the city, all gaping at the party and a few adventurous souls shouting calls of welcome and praise to the noteworthy visitors.

"It is good to be home." He repeated in reply to the human's question. His keen eyes did not see the smile that the man did not bother to hide. The man followed the elf's gaze, looking ahead.

"So...how far exactly is it to the palace?"

"Can you not remember _mellon nin_?" (my friend) Asked the elf in jest.

The man laughed, "It has been many years since last I came to your home dear elf."

The elf frowned slightly, his eyes seeking out eagerly what lay ahead. "Aye." He answered softly. "It has been too long."

* * *

The palace was just as magnificent as he remembered it. Elven warriors lined each side of the road as the elf and human rode past. Since the destruction of Sauron, and the end of the War of the Ring, the forest of Mirkwood had lost some of its foreboding nature. The elves standing behind the warriors cheered the elf and human as the dismounted and walked up a flight of large steps up to the palace door. There, at the top of the steps stood another elf, wisdom was written in his fair face that only comes with the passing of many years. His golden hair shone brightly in the summer sun from out under a crown of silver leaves.

The elf, Thranduil, King of Mirkwood, exclaimed a joyous welcome as he embraced the nearing elf. "Legolas!" He said in mirth, embracing his son with tenderness. He released him, looking back into the mirror images of Legolas' eyes. "I see that Elessar has brought you home in one piece." He said in mock seriousness, his gaze averting to the human king.

Aragorn chuckled from behind Legolas, and Thranduil bowed slightly, showing respect for his new found ally.

"My Lord Thrnaduil," Elessar replied, replying with the same gesture. "is it not as I promised?"

The Elven king could not suppress a laugh at Elessar's words. "So you did my friend. Come," He said gesturing to the hall behind him. "we have prepared a feast for you. It is not often that we are able to entertain so renowned," he looked pointedly at his son, "...guests such as these."

* * *

"Why does five years suddenly seem too long?" Asked Legolas of his father as he ate.

Thranduil laughed, "Don't you know my son? It is because you keep company with this foolish mortal." He looked at Aragorn. "I cannot count how many messes you got into together."

Aragorn laughed, "Well, five years is a long time for _me_ anyway."

This time, Legolas chuckled. "Everything seems not to have changed though father.

It amazes me still about this place."

Thranduil frowned. "Not everything is the same."

"Meaning what?" Asked Legolas in confusion.

"The War did not only change the lands in the east my son. Strange things have been happening in Mirkwood."

"For instance?" Asked Aragorn curiously.

"There have been rumors of a ghost wandering the forest."

"A ghost?" Asked Legolas, his lips turning upward in mirth. "In the last five years? Isn't that a little quick for a ghost to appear?"

Thranduil frowned at his son, "I would have said so, but too many strange things have happened. She wanders the forest, glowing brightly."

"She?" Aragorn interrupted.

"Yes." Thranduil answered, eyeing Aragorn with a silent warning not to interrupt. Aragorn had been under that gaze more then once before in his years, and he only smiled at the elven king. "She cries, singing songs that no one can understand. It is said she flies away when approached, and has a home deep in the forest. From which, no one can seem to return from sane."

"What?" Asked Legolas in alarm.

"They return incapable of speech and in a daze." Thranduil explained, "They come out of it within two weeks, but none of them remember anything."

"It sounds as though you've had a number of these victims." Said Legolas.

"You could say that. The ghost has become...more violent of late...it is difficult to explain. Many warriors have gone in order to challenge the ghost, and all seem to meet the same fate."

"Does she have a name?" Asked Aragorn.

Thranduil nodded, "They call her, Gwenél."

"Maiden of a star." Muttered Legolas quietly.

There was silence for a moment. Thanduil once more filled the great hall with his voice. "Come, I did not welcome you home to entertain you with the petty troubles of Mirkwood. Now is a time of feasting, our prince has returned to us."

Legolas and Aragorn exchanged glances before they smiled at Thranduil and returned to eating. Aragorn met the prince's silver blue eyes, wordlessly expressing his thoughts.

_This isn't over._

The Prince nodded.

_I know._

* * *

Well, that is the end of chapter twenty-four. But I can assure you, this is only the beginning. :) I thank all of you for your support, and here we go for the second part of Safe in My Arms! I hope you all continue to read more story, and while you're all waiting for an update, why not welcome everybody's favorite LotR pair:)

Also, those who payed attention when I was describing Legolas, I'm leaning more toward book-verse for his physical description. Well, for his eyes anyway. In the movies they change from blue to brown. In the books, he's grey(silver) eyed. :)

Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing and a massive thanks to my beta, Kiann:)

TO BE CONTINUED...


	25. Gwenél :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's work.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five

Gwenél

* * *

"What do you think of this ghost?" Asked Aragorn as the man and elf walked through the city the next morning.

Legolas frowned, the tale his father had spoken of the night before had kept him up thinking most of the night. Mirkwood never really had a ghost before, at least, none that he could remember. "It is strange." He said, "That Mirkwood should receive so renowned a guest in so short a period of time."

Aragorn nodded in agreement, he walked with his hands clasped behind his back., his brow wrinkling thus proved the depth of his thought. The elves of Eryn Lasgalen were busily going about their every day lives. The various shops were open, men, women, and children walked through the streets. There were traders from all corners of the forest, come to sell their wares. The young maidens were flirting with the tall, young male elves recently returned from war. Legolas couldn't help but smile, _the war has changed us; but we still live on. _

"You...aren't the least bit curious on the matter are you?" Asked Aragorn quietly, shaking his head with a smile at a rather persuasive shopkeeper. Legolas looked at his friend and grinned,

"None whatsoever." He answered cooly.

"So...you wouldn't want to find more on the subject would you? And leave it alone as your father advised?" Quipped Aragorn, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. The elf and human exchanged glances and Legolas shrugged helplessly.

"No desire at all _mellon nin_, really none at all."

* * *

"So, if we were going to find out something about a ghost," Began Aragorn slowly, "where would we start?"

The two were seated in the palace kitchen, sipping mugs of mead. "I am not sure." Legolas said with a smile. "I have never gone hunting for the deceased before."

"We are not hunting." Corrected Aragorn. "We are just...searching."

"Searching?"

"Yes, we are searching for this ghost."

Legolas smiled again as he thought on Aragorn's original question. "Well, we could look for survivors of her visits, do you not agree?"

Aragorn nodded, "But how do we begin to finding those who have returned?" He asked.

Legolas shook his head, "That is what I am not certain of." The Prince turned at the sound of footsteps approaching the table and was met by a young maiden. She blushed furiously, curtseying.

"Forgive me my lords, but I overheard that you are searching for survivors of Gwenél?"

The elf and man exchanged glanced, "Yes, we are." Legolas said quietly.

"If you will pardon my boldness Prince Legolas, my brother has seen the ghost, he might be able to help you."

Aragorn let out a cry of victory which was so unlike the human that it caused Legolas to jump and the maiden to take a step back in alarm.

"That is perfect! A real ghost hunt _mellon nin_!"

The maiden smiled at Aragorn and blushed once more. "Where would we find your brother miss...?" Asked Legolas.

"My name is Celin, your majesty, and please, I am no one of importance. Just call me Celin."

Legolas smiled kindly at her, Celin was fair-haired, silver eyed, and soft spoken. She was young, but thus far she was the greatest help they had, had so far. "Thank you very much Celin." The Prince said. "What is your brother's name?"

"Balamrún. But my Lord, I can bring you to him. Our flet is not far away and my work here is over for a few hours. He is still recovering there and has been unable to work."

Aragorn frowned, "Recovering?" He asked.

The elf maiden turned to him in surprise, "Why yes sir, from his last sighting of Gwenél."

* * *

Celin had spoken true, her flet was only a matter of moments from the kitchen doors. She paused outside the door to her flet, calling softly inside. She turned to look at the two lords standing behind her.

"I have not had much time to tidy up lately, I apologize."

"You do not need to apologize." Legolas said kindly.

"Where are your parents?" Asked Aragorn.

She turned to look to the north, "Oh, they passed many years ago." She seemed lost in thought and for a moment the faintest traces of a smile could be seen on her lips before she once more turned back to them. "If your lordships will follow me this way."

The flet was cleverly designed, a tall tree stood in its center and the whole building seemed to be either built into it, around it, or drawn to it. There were three rooms, a large and smaller room, and a third room which appeared to serve as the main room and the kitchen. Celin bade them through the flet to the larger of the two rooms and gently opened the door. Lying on a bed was the figure of a tall, broad shouldered and pale elf. His eyes were open in the fashion of sleep and his face seemed drawn and taunt.

"Balamrún." Celin called softly as she knelt by the bed. The warrior stirred, blinking and turning to his sister.

"What is it? Why are you home so early?" He asked softly. His fair hair was identical to that of his sister's, and his eyes were the same grey. Celin smiled at him,

"I have brought Prince Legolas and the Lord Aragorn to see you. They request your assistance."

"About what?"

"About Gwenél."

His eyes flickered with an un-explained emotion, he controlled himself and turned to the door way where Aragorn and Legolas now stood. He struggled to get up with the aid of his sister who propped pillows up behind his back so that he could stand up. Once he was upright, he looked upon his visitors and bowed his head in respect.

"Prince Legolas, King Aragorn. Won't you come in?"

Balamrún was neither ashamed nor overly awed by the presence of the elf and man. Yes his respect for them was evident upon his face, his expression devoid of all other emotion. Legolas sat in a chair while Aragorn moved behind Celin and leaned up against the wall.

"Now, what is it that my Lord is seeking from me?" Asked Balamrún, bowing his head in respect, first to Legolas and then to Aragorn.

"Your sister informed us that you encountered the new Ghost of Mirkwood." Balamrún nodded.

"I have seen Gwenél, this," He gestured to himself laying weakly on the bed, "was the second time."

"Second?" Exclaimed Aragorn in surprise.

Balamrún's eyes turned to the King of Gondor and he nodded again, wordlessly. "I was found on the borders of the forest one week ago."

"One week? Pardon the interruption," Said Legolas, "but I was informed that those who had seen Gwenél suffered temporary insanity or memory loss."

Balamrún nodded, "That is what happened the first time, when I wandered into her territory. I can remember not how I returned. However this time, I was only weakened."

"Why is that?" Asked Aragorn.

"Because I only saw her this time, she did not hold as much sway over me."

"I am not sure I understand." Stated the Dúnedan slowly, his brow wrinkling.

"You would not." Answered Balamrún, "Few can. Understanding her is often only accomplished by those who have seen the ghost herself." A cloudy mist entered the young warrior's eyes. "She is very beautiful." He said softly. "Yet very sad, she wanders through the forest singing." The warrior drifted off, apparently lost in his own thoughts.

"What does she sing?" Asked Aragorn curiously.

"A lament." The elf answered, "For loved ones that she had lost. She mourns their parting, vowing never to forget. There were flowers in her hair...she shone like a star." The mist cleared and he hurriedly shook his head. "I will never forget her face, wreathed with such sorrow and pain..." He sighed, "I cannot imagine what made her that way."

"Where can we find her?" Asked Legolas, interrupting the other elf's dampening memory. He looked up,

"I was in the northen woods, near the grey mountains."

"That is all?" Legolas asked after a brief period of silence. "How can we find her?" Added Aragorn in confusion.

Balamrún looked long and hard from the elf to the human, his eyes calm and dark. "There is no finding her." He said simply. "If Gwenél is found by either of you it will be purely by chance. If you do stumble upon her, Gwenél can disappear quickly if she does not want to be found."

* * *

"I cannot decide if Balamrún's tale has told us anything that will be particularly useful in our new quest _mellon nin_." Aragorn said as the two walked through the streets after their visit with Balamrún.

"I would say that we have a rather large problem on our hands." Said Legolas. "The north is mainly uncharted, inhabited mostly by spiders..." (Here Aragorn had to fight a shudder) "...but this _Gwenél_ is a threat to my people. Leaving them helpless to wander in the northern woods is not something I can leave unattended to."

"Do you think she is really a ghost?"

"At this point I do not care. Right now our main concern is how on earth we are going to actually _find _her."

"So what exactly are you proposing?" Asked Aragorn with a eager gleam in his eye.

"That we prepare to leave as soon as possible of course." Answered Legolas.

The King of Gondor smiled, "I had hoped you would say that."

Neither prince nor king had time to prepare for the abrupt addition of company that graced them in that next moment. But suddenly Legolas heard the shouts of warriors as he turned and jerked to the side as a flash of blur ran past him. The blur was followed by five elven warriors, all shouting curses to the blur as it dashed on. The elf grabbed the arm of a warrior as he tried to pass.

"What goes on here?" He asked anxiously.

The warrior regained his composure quickly, nodding his head in respect to his prince and lord before answering the question. "My Lord, we have found a dangerous convict who was trying to steal bread."

"A dangerous convict...for stealing bread?" Asked Aragorn in amusement.

"I can explain better when the convict is caught my Lords. If you please my Prince." He glanced hurriedly at the latter's hand on his arm and Legolas released it as if he had been burnt by flame.

"Of course."

The warrior dashed off after the others without another word leaving the man and elf with slightly stunned looks on their faces.

"A convict? We have not heard of trouble of this sort in Mirkwood for some time now."

"Not that we know of at least." Muttered the prince, looking intently up the street the warriors had ran.

"So...in the time you've been gone, a ghost and a dangerous convict have been added to your home. There's a bit of excitement...maybe you should stay away more often."

Legolas did not laugh, though he did glance sideways at his grinning friend. There was nothing funny about this. He had been away for so short a time...and yet why did he feel like a stranger? He turned slowly, his mind working frantically as he looked up another street.

"That street." He said slowly, recalling all the old maps and all the old ways of the city. "...leads north of the palace towards the woods. Right where they should be ending up."

"They as in the pursued and the pursuers?"

Aragorn was having way too much fun teasing him. Legolas turned to him, cocking his head. "We could catch up with them."

"Shall I take you up on that?" Asked the human, holding out his hand to seal the bet. Legolas glanced at the hand, before smiling slightly and shaking it.

"By all means." replied the elf.

* * *

He had remembered the street, but as Legolas and Aragorn ran up the street, he had forgotten how very long it was. Neither was breathless by the time they stopped at the borders of the woods, but Legolas could tell by the look on his friend's face that Aragorn was not exactly pain free in the least.

He looked around, but there was still no one there. "This is it." He said slowly, his grey eyes glancing around quickly. His brows wrinkled in confusion as he noted the stillness of the place.

"I win." Stated Aragorn cheerfully when suddenly there was a loud crash to their right. Legolas stared as a cloaked figure ran through the street, avoiding the flets only by a hair's breath as he ran from the elven warriors hot on his heels. Legolas did not stop to think, he ran after the figure after less then a moments consideration. The figure started when it saw Legolas running towards it and it he stopped dead. He glanced up for only a second, then with a bound scrambled onto the rooftops and began to run down the line of them. Legolas followed, his lean body striding onto the flets with ease. The cloaked figure was tiring, he could see his shoulders dropping with fatigue. It was almost too easy, Legolas caught up with the figure after a short run and with a giant leap he hurled himself into the cloaked back, grabbed his arms and the two plummeted to the cobblestone street.

The convict landed on his back with Legolas on top, pinning him to the ground. The man was breathless, the face covered by a black cloth that ran under two startling blue eyes. Legolas only stared at the man for a moments as he was helped off the man to his feet. The warriors hauled the man roughly to his feet and the soul cried out in pain as they did so.

Aragorn had a hand under his shoulders, pulling him up straight. "Show off." He muttered darkly into the elf's ear. Legolas would have smiled normally, but this was not normal.

"Now, what has happened here." Asked Legolas of the warriors slowly, "Of what has this man been accused."

"Thank you for your assistance sir." Quipped a young elf, hardly in his centuries yet. "This human is wanted for the assassination of the village of Gilloth." Legolas' eyes bore no understanding of the accusation.

"I am not familiar with this injustice, but might I inquire as to how you know this is the man you are looking for?"

A warrior pointed to the man's chest. "The medallion sir. Besides that, I would recognize this...this _murderer, _anywhere." Said another of the warriors darkly.

Legolas turned to him curiously. "How would you know?"

The warriors' face grew cold and stern. "My wife, child, and sister were among the dead. A little girl I had. My sister had not even reached adulthood yet...she was only a child. And my wife..." His voice cracked and he paused before continuing. "I saw the aftermath of the village with my own eyes my lord."

The prisoner still had water streaming from his eyes and for the life of him, Legolas could not believe that the water was in fact tears. _Women? Children...? What kind of man could do such a thing?_ "Let me see the medallion." He said finally, holding out his hand.

The warrior who had just spoken lifted it off the prisoner's chest and wrenched it from his neck with a quick jerk. The man cried out before stiffening as the warrior glared at him. The warrior placed it in the Prince's hand. "My respects sir, but one does not forget a medallion such as that."

_No_, Legolas mused as he looked at it, _one does not. _His brow wrinkled in thought and he stared harder at it. It was a silver medallion, well-made, the creator had been a master at his craft. A sudden memory made him jerk however and burn with anger. "Where did you get this?" He demanded, his silver eyes boring into the man's iced blue ones. The man however, remained silent.

"SPEAK!" Legolas shouted, he clenched his fist, his anger coursing red hot through him. He fought the urge to strike the man with violent determination, he would not break, this was not the time for this. But the man only stared back defiantly, not uttering a word as he stared back at the prince icily under long, strangely feminine eyelashes.

Legolas turned to the warriors, "Take him to the dungeons, I must speak to my father on this."

"Yes my Lord." Said the warrior, he nodded to the others and they turned, leading the man back to the palace. The man groaned, but did not falter even as he limped and while one arm swung sickeningly out of socket.

* * *

Well, how did you all like that? A double post and another chapter will be following hot in its heels because I wrote most of it while I was away. :) So, we now have two new developments, our dear Legolas and Aragorn are going on a ghost hunt, and the assassin of Gilloth has been captured. Who is this assassin? And why did the sight of the medallion make Legolas so angry? Well, I'm not going to tell you...but you will eventually find out:)

Thanks to all who read and reviewed. And thanks a million to my beta, Kiann. :)

You all can expect an update soon:)

TO BE CONTINUED...


	26. Tales :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's work.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six

Tales

* * *

"So are you going to explain to me what just happened there?" Asked Aragorn as they walked back to the palace.

Legolas was clutching the medallion tightly in his hand and his usually calm expression was over-wrought with anger. But the Prince was hardly listening to anything his friend said just then, what had happened to Mirkwood in so short a time? His home now had a ghost and a murderer, (or number of murderers) added to his list. Five years was so short a time for him...and yet...and yet what? He himself could not fit the pieces together.

"Legolas?" Aragorn called, a little louder this time.

The elf turned to him, his grey eyes flashing. "Not yet. I need time to think. I will explain everything once I speak to my father concerning this matter."

* * *

Thranduil was frowning, a look that was all too familiar to Legolas from his youth, but an expression nonetheless that he did not find welcoming. "This is indeed grave tidings, my son. We have been searching for the slayer of Gilloth ever since our warriors saw its destruction."

"Why was I not informed of this?" Legolas asked irritably.

"You were fighting in the east for a cause that led you away from our people, and away from your home. Even if you had heard, would you have come home?"

Legolas opened him mouth to answer, but then shut it once more. He had no answer to that. True, he would have wanted to return home immediately to deal with this elf-slayer. But would he have abandoned Aragorn? His friends? All that he had fought to accomplish in the east?

"That is what I thought." The elven king said wisely. Father and son were standing alone on a terrace at the top of the palace. Most of the palace consisted of extremely ornate caves in the earth. However, a small piece of it still remained above ground. And high above in trees, the terrace stood, as did Legolas and his father.

"Whether or not I would have returned right away is not what I came to discuss here." Legolas was aware that his father had sorely missed his presence during his country's battles with the orcs. But he also knew that they had won, and what had already been done, had been done. "What I came here to ask were for details on a slaughter that I had never heard of but seems to be on the tongue on every elf living in Mirkwood."

"Unfortunately Legolas, this matter has little to do with you now. The prisoner will be tried and found guilty. That will conclude this matter."

Legolas shook his head, "You cannot hide this from me ada. (father) I need to know what has happened to my home while I was away."

"You are often away Legolas." Thranduil said with a regretful sigh.

Legolas frowned, leaned forward to look his father straight in the eye.

"But now I am home."

* * *

"That looked as though it went well."Aragorn commented as Legolas retreated from the palace. Aragorn was waiting for him by the stable door, the King of Gondor leaning up against the door with ease. The elf's eyes were aflame with rage as he looked up at his friend.

"It did." Legolas said curtly, his hand was clutched tightly around the medallion which he had carried with him through the entirety of the day.

"I can tell." Aragorn said dryly, he stood upright. "What did Thranduil tell you?"

"He told me a number of things, none of which are comforting." Legolas nodded towards the direction of the lower part of the palace. "Come, I'll explain it on the way."

"On the way to where?" Asked Aragorn curiously.

"To the dungeons of course, it is time I payed this _elf-slayer_ a visit."

* * *

"During the war, my country was often attacked by orc-raiding parties." Legolas began as they started the descent into the palace dungeons. "Many warriors from many villages were called up, leaving most of the towns unprotected." Aragorn nodded in understanding, such had been the case in his own country during those dark times.

"Rohan and Gondor were often fighting such raiders." Aragorn mused softly.

"Yes, but this was much different. No one is sure what happened because there were no survivors."At this, Aragorn's eyes widened in surprise. "Gilloth was on the south-eastern borders of Mirkwood, next to an old highway that ran from the eastern territories to the palace. The village was famous for its _gilórn, _star trees, as they are called. The star flowers of which make remarkable healing herbs."

Here, Aragorn frowned as they started down a steep flight of stares. "I have never heard of these flowers before."

Legolas glanced sideways at his friend. "That is because the trees are now a rarity. They have not grown anywhere else but Gilloth for nearly a thousand years now. No one is sure of their full capabilities because of this reason."

"Ah."

"Anyway, messengers were sent to the palace and fifteen warriors were spared from the front lines to see what had happened. At the time, our southern borders were the center of the heaviest of the fighting and no more could be spared. They met a band of orcs on the road to Gilloth just after the neighboring village, who had been warned of the orcs' approach by an old man whom the villagers called, _Caden. _They were luck enough to have been spared by the beasts' wrath. But when the warriors arrived at Gilloth..." he paused, stopping suddenly at a large wooden door. Aragorn waited for Legolas to continue as he watched the sorrow and white hot anger written in his friend's emotions.

The Prince looked at him and sighed, "They found all the villagers dead. The men, women, and children. Their murderer stood over the body of a woman, a bloody scimitar in his hand. When he looked up at the warriors, he challenged them and he fought, wounding a few before he retreated."

"Why did he not fight?"

"No one knows. They say because he was wounded and weakening quickly. Many others say this is not the case because he attacked with so much enthusiasm. He disappeared after that and has not been since."

"Until now." Aragorn said quietly.

"Until now." The prince agreed, he moved to open the door when he was met by yet another question.

"But how do you know the man you arrested today is the man you are looking for?" Aragorn asked. "Five years is a long time for a human to stay in Mirkwood, especially if he's being hunted."

"Because the warriors saw that man five years ago wearing this..." He held the medallion out to Aragorn, his features becoming cold and stern. It was a silver medallion, with an image of a blue, rearing horse engraved in its center. "This is what that man was wearing today. There can be no mistake." Legolas finished quietly.

Aragorn stared at the medallion until Legolas removed his hand from the human's sight. "So what will you do?" The human asked calmly.

"I told you." Legolas said evenly, "I have a few questions for this elf-slayer."

"And the medallion? Why did you-"

Legolas cut him off with a sharp jerk of his hand. "I'll explain the rest later." He opened the door with a swift and powerful push, and then walked inside the room.

* * *

The prisoner was sitting quite still on a cot. That was the first thing Legolas noted with mild interest as he entered the dungeon. This was unusual, most of the dungeon cells provided only a pile of straw for their occupants. It was not the intention of the elves of Mirkwood to be cruel, but they occupied so few prisoners in these cells that there was little point in constructing cots or suitable sleeping arrangements.

The cloth which had covered the human's face was gone now. Long, matted brown hair fell into his face in clumps of blood and grime. He sat very still, his right shoulder hanging grotesquely out of place. His hands lay lifeless in his lap. Two warriors stood guard at the door and another, a healer by the type of clothing he donned, was talking quietly to the prisoner, who did not speak at all.

The guards stood stiffly at attention as their prince entered, his eyes were bare of emotion, but his face was dark and cold. Boring icily into the downcast face of the man in front of him. "Has he said anything?" He asked of the healer.

The elf bowed his head in respect before answering. "No my Lord." He pointed. "The right shoulder is dislocated and the left ankle is sprained."

Legolas nodded, not taking his eyes off the man. Both were silent for a moment, but Legolas hardly notices. His gaze was fixed upon the human on the cot. The human did not move nor make any detectable sound, he hardly looked like he was breathing. He was clothed all in black, the attire of which consisted of a large tunic and tight trousers fashioned in the way of the elves. His hands rested on his knees, weakly clasped together. The tunic over the right shoulder had been cut away, exposing a pale, but well muscled arm. The human, overall, seemed to be tall in stature and thin...unhealthily thin. Legolas frowned, he had been expecting something...someone...with a little more grandeur.

"Leave us." He said simply to the healer. "Dismiss the guards as well."

The healer frowned, "My Lord, it might be unwise to-"

"I am aware of my actions." Legolas said quietly. "I have been destroying the minions of Sauron before and after the War of the Ring. I will not be in danger from this...elf-slayer."

The human remained still, ignoring and dismantling the thought of showing any signs of life to the two elves who watched him. The healer nodded reluctantly and left, flanked by the two guards.

Now it was just he and the human.

The elf and the elf-slayer.

He looked down at the medallion in his hands, "A curios mark," He began slowly, "for one of your race. Its creator was of the race you slayed."

The man was silent.

"How did you get it? Slay its owner too?"

No Answer.

Legolas frowned, thought he did notice satisfactorily that the human flinched at this statement. "Have you nothing to say in your defense?"

No Answer.

Legolas nodded in acceptance, he could wait. He had time, he would always have time. He clutched the medallion once more, he could come again. Perhaps the man would already be dead by then. It would only be as he deserved. The elven prince stopped suddenly, the human had mumbled something.

"What was that?"

The human looked up, blue eyes blazing into the face of the elf. He had a surprisingly youthful face, dirtied, the brows low in anger that proved true by the fire in his eyes. He was lost of al emotion.

"I did not kill them." He said softly, staring defiantly at Legolas. The Prince blinked in slight surprise, that had not been the answer he had been expecting.

"Really?" Legolas asked dryly, he was beginning to lose any sympathy he had originally held on to. Actually, he had lost it the moment he had seen the medallion. Now there was only the cold, unflinching reality that he no longer cared if the human lived or died. He only wanted answers. And he had so many questions...so many things he still wished to know...things only the human could tell him. The human had not lowered his gaze,

"You were recognized by one of my warriors." Said Legolas smoothly. "The medallion you wore could never be mistaken for another. For there is no other of its like in the whole of Middle-earth."

The human's eyes clouded, the long eye lashes fluttered absentmindedly. He averted his gaze, looking instead at his hands. Then suddenly, his brows met and his lips curled in distaste. "Recognized?" He snarled. "How would they know? The cowards saw nothing. They weren't there."He looked up once more, the anger in his eyes. "You care so much for your people, and yet your warriors could not save them from their _elf-slayer." _ He hissed the last word, his eyes flashing.

"You murdered them." Legolas said in a short, clipped tone.

The human did not answer.

"Why do you remain silent? You are to be executed on this charge. Do you really have nothing to say in your own defense?"

The human shrugged. "No matter what I say, I will be killed. It is the way of your people. Their hunger for vengeance drives their lust for death. My death that is." He sighed, the fire died and he seemed to wither slightly. "Perhaps it will be better that way."

Now it was the elf's turn to become angry. "How did you get this medallion?"

The man shook his head in stubborn silence.

Legolas stared in fury. "SPEAK!"

The man looked away.

Legolas, the medallion cutting into his palm, finally lost his temper, grabbed the human by the shoulders and shook him violently. The human gasped in surprise and pain.

"TELL ME!"

The fire re-entered the blue eyes. Rising with unhuman speed, the human glowered at the prince, cradling his arm. "Tell you what? That I slaughtered that village with my bare hands and tore the hearts out of their chests? Is that the answer you want to hear?"

"Where did you get this medallion?" Legolas pressed again.

"What do you want, dear prince." The man answered sarcastically. "Do you think it would be that easy?"

"I want the truth." Legolas snapped back, standing rigid and tall.

"I told you the truth. I told them all so many times. You have the truth, and yet you have no understanding of it." He growled. The human took a step back, his face twisting into one of pain as he sank to the cot with a cry. Legolas watched him fall, watched the human slide of the cot and kneel before him tentatively. He massaged the wounded shoulder, turned up to look at the elf.

Legolas' eyes widened in surprise, but other then this he portrayed no emotion. There was something different about the man...something strange...

"I have told you the truth I thought truth was." The human said quietly. "You will get nothing more from me."

_The pale skin...the lean frame...the long eyelashes... _It all suddenly fit together. The elf-slayer, was a woman. Legolas tried to rid himself of showing the disgust in his face, but he could not. The anger came, churning and boiling with the deepest disgust possible. The human turned away, struggling to get herself on the cot once more and then lying back with her eyes closed. The prince made no move to help him.

The elf-slayer...was a _woman. _

"Healer? Where's the healer!" His voice cracked in fury, he could not stand it. Could feel the emotions burning deep inside of him. The healer was immediately again in the room, his handsomely sculpted face masked with concern.

"My Lord?"

"Why was I not informed that the prisoner was female?"

The healer looked at him in confusion. "My pardon Prince Legolas, we thought you knew."

"I seem to know very little of anything." He muttered darkly in reply. He did not look at the human as he gestured with a jerk to her.

"You said the shoulder was dislocated."

"Yes my Lord."

"Fix it."

"My lord, she refused any medical aid-"

"_She_ is a convicted murder. _She_ has lost the privilege to refuse anything now." He moved towards the door. "I will send in warriors to assist you."

"Yes my Lord." The healer bowed his head once more, and Legolas eyes drifted to the human again. Her shoulders drooped, the flame quenched, she sat in a still silence. He fought the urge to snarl at the healer when he spoke again.

"Heal the shoulder and give her sedative to help her sleep." The woman was looking at him now, the blue eyes meeting the sliver. But her face was expressionless, and the emotion in her eyes unreadable.

"I will return at dawn for further questioning."

And he left.

* * *

Well, am I making your little heads spin yet:) Welcome to all my new reviewers! And thanks for all the support from the older ones. :) As I said, this part of the story will be entrenched with more mystery and action then the first part, so brace yourselves. :)

Now, I am experimenting with Legolas' moods right now. This inspiration came from Mirrordance, my FAVORITE author on She has written various stories toying with Legolas' emotions and in this story, I wanted to do a similar method of writing. I wanted to try Legolas with rage and other such emotions to see how he would handle it. So far so good! And you still have no idea what the medallion means...

But I'm sure you all know who the elf-slayer is. :)

Thanks to all who read and reviewed! And a million thanks to my beta, Kiann!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	27. The Medallion :: Part Two

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Medallion

* * *

Anger is not an emotion that normally flows long in the veins of the Eldar. But that day, the feeling did not wear for a long while after Legolas' 'visit' to the slayer of Gilloth. Legolas had stormed out past Aragorn, who had remained silent as he sensed his friend's mood. But both human and elf knew that certain unanswered questions would not remain as such for long.

* * *

"The interrogation went well?" Asked Aragorn quietly the next morning of Legolas. The prince had calmed down, but his eyes still burned with the intensity of his hatred for the prisoner in the dungeons.

"The prisoner is to be questions again."

"By you?" Aragorn asked with his brows raised.

Legolas frowned at his friend in slight annoyance. "By me. I'm going there directly."

Aragorn nodded slowly in understanding. "Again, I can see that yesterday's discussion went..." He paused, looking for the right word. "...well." He finished.

The elf did not respond right away, he had lost his bad temper and had every intention of questioning that woman with every air of calm clarity. He knew that yesterday, he had gone too far. He knew it, Aragorn knew it, and what was worse, that damned woman knew it. It would not happen again...but he refused to left that woman die until he found out exactly how she had gotten that medallion.

"My father is pressing for a quick trial. A quick death is too good for her, I still have too many questions that need answering."

Aragorn frowned, confusion lighting his grey eyes."Her?"

Legolas nodded, "Yes, the elf-slayer is a woman."

That caught the ranger rather by surprise. He blinked, wiping all emotion from his face. "A woman." He repeated slowly, the human fought down a shudder. "This is getting more twisted with every passing hour."

Legolas nodded in agreement, "I have to find out more Aragorn. There are too many secrets that will die otherwise with her if my father has his way." There was almost pleading in the elf's voice, pleading for his friend to understand.

"You should not burden yourself with this _mellon nin_." Aragorn said, "What does she know that could help you now?"

The elf pursed his lips, there were many memories, many secrets, most of which he hadn't wished to ever recall. But they all came flooding back so quickly that he hadn't had time to ignore them.

And for the millionth time, he cursed the day the Valar had breathed life into the slayer of Gilloth.

* * *

_Fifty Years Previous_

* * *

_Legolas clucked encouragingly to his grey mount and the horse tossed his head in annoyance. _

_"A little father my friend." He whispered with a soft chuckle. The horse snorted but gave no other complaint at the lengthening of his master's journey. _

_Legolas smiled and rubbed the animal's neck in reassurance. The horse continued its flowing trot without another sound except for sighing every once in a while. Straightening his back, the elven prince turned to look back at the column of warriors that followed directly behind him on horseback. His task was a relatively simple one, to track down and destroy a group of marauding orcs that had made their presence known on Mirkwood's southern borders. A simple mission, and yet they had been searching for this group of orcs for nearly over a month now. _

_Soon it would be dusk and he, his men, and the horses would be able to rest. They stopped to sleep every other day, they covered more ground in this fashion. And while it effected the elves themselves very little, the strain was showing on the horses. There was no other way, every day they found the traces of the orcs before them. Destroyed trees and plant-life, villages which had suffered through attacks, and still they had been unable to catch their quarry. Soon they would be out of Mirkwood, and if they didn't catch them soon, the orcs would no longer be theirs to concern over. Then it would be up to his father to decide whether or not to continue their search on un-welcoming soil. _

_For over a month they had searched, and still they had come no closer to finding the orcs then the day his father had ordered them out here in the first place. And now the hunt was no longer just an order, it was personal. For even the warriors, as Legolas now knew, wanted with every bone in their body to find the monsters who were causing such a disturbance in their land. The attacks were too close to home, the victims too unprepared. The orcs would not be given a second chance, they would be dead. _

_Such malice was not an emotion familiar to the elves, but now it coursed hotly through the veins of his warriors, and through his own body as well. Orcs would not come out to fight honorably, they would aim for the weak, the defenseless, and it needed to stop. _

_The forest was already dark as they continued on, soon even the company's elven sight would not be able to keep trailing their quarry. Much could be lost in the dark. Legolas sighed as he halted the grey gelding. There was no point in continuing now. _

_"My Lord?" Came an inquisitive voice from behind him. _

_Legolas glanced over his shoulder at his second in command, a calm, black haired elf that contrasted sharply with his own light haired features. _

_"We'll stop here for the night Tathar, tell the others to dismount."_

_The elf nodded, "Yes Milord." He turned his mount and trotted back to the warriors. Legolas slid off his mount and the horse whinnied softly. Legolas smiled and patted his neck, "Yes my friend, we will stop now."_

_The horse nuzzled him affectionately and after one final caress, Legolas looked around. They had stopped in a small clearing, ideal to fit his men and the horses without having to separate among the dense foliage. Legolas pulled the bag which had been strapped to his mount's withers and then led the horse to the edge of the clearing. There was something strange about the clearing...something luring and something that urged him to be wary, though he did not know what. He let his horse graze and then set about to gathering wood for a fire. Then he stopped. _

_He glanced at the grey gelding, who had stilled with his head turned to the east, to where the wind was blowing. His ears rotated, straining for an unknown sound. _

_"What is it my friend?" Legolas asked soothingly, though the horse's sudden alertness made him frown. He could neither hear nothing to give him a cause for alarm...yet could he trust his won instincts so willingly? Legolas turned to the others in the company, and all were looking through the trees and at their mounts with the same puzzled expression. Something was not right. He gazed around the clearing, quickly taking in his surroundings with rapid elven senses. One thing that immediately caught his interest was that this clearing, and the path ahead shown no trace of the orcs that they had been tracking. _

_During their past month, the orcs had always left a trail behind. And now, there was no sign of even a broken branch. It was almost as if they had disappeared. But that was impossible, orcs were not skilled enough to hide traces of their existence so throughly. His grey mount called out in fright and the rest of the horses started at the sudden noise. _

_"Easy my friend." Legolas called, reaching out to the horse, but the gelding only flattened his ears and screamed in fear. "What is it?"_

_"Milord?" Called one of the warriors softly, Legolas turned to him, noticed with a deepening frown that the others were drawing arrows from their quivers and fitting them to their bows. _

_"Tathar?" Legolas called in reply. _

_The warriors were looking up into the tree tops, and Legolas never had a chance to draw even his ivory daggers before they attacked...dropping from the trees above. And as he watched the first land in front of him, he could only wonder in astonishment how they had surprised them all like this. _

* * *

He would not stop Aragorn from accompanying him to the dungeons, but neither was he ready to reveal all to his friend concerning the woman that waited for him there. Aragorn had not pressed Legolas when they had started for the dungeons, and knew, with time, that his friend would tell him what was happening here. But that time would only come when Legolas knew for himself what was happening, and thus far, he seemed to know nothing.

The guards let him pass without question into the cell and he was met inside by the healer. The elf bowed to the human king and his own lord with grave respect before turning his attention to Legolas.

"The shoulder is set milord, but we've run into some complications-"

"Such as?" Legolas cut off impatiently, he had no desire to speak to this healer right now. He wanted to speak to the prisoner right now, and quickly.

"There was an inflammation before we set, the shoulder became swollen-"

"Did you set it?"

"Yes milord." The healer seemed surprised by either Legolas' short temper, his question, or possibly both. "But there was an infection of another older wound as well on the prisoner's side."

"What is the result of this?"

"Plainly milord, the prisoner now has a rather high fever, and the infection has caused some excessive bleeding."

"Can she still be questioned?"

The healer hesitated, "It is physically possible milord, but I don't know how much you'll get out of her." The healer took a step back to reveal the cot. Unlike his previous visit the day before, the woman was not seated defiantly upright on the edge of the cot. Now she was stretched out upon it with her arms and legs strapped to the wooden legs of the cot. Her shoulder was bandaged and her tunic torn to reveal a steaming cloth on the woman's side as well.

From behind him Legolas could hear Aragorn mutter a curse, but he reflexively ignored it. "Might I examine her?" Legolas heard him ask the healer.

The healer shot a tentative glance at his lord, but when Legolas gave no objection, he gave Aragorn soft permission. "There is a warm basin of water on the table, I was trying to draw out the infection."

Aragorn conversed softly with the healer again, but Legolas was no longer listening. If she died then there would be no need for an execution, and his questions would go unanswered with way. His gaze darkened, damn her! He approached the cot with cold indifference as she lay very still, her lungs heaving for air.

"Prince Legolas." She said hoarsely without opening her eyes. Her face was drenched with sweat and her dark hair was damp, and stuck to her pale skin like snakes. Her greeting did not startle him, though it did halt his approach. Her eyes opened, the blue clouded with her illness. She looked up at him, her lips set in a straight line. "To what do I owe this honor."

"I need answers." He said softly.

The woman did not flinch, nor do anything at all but sigh. "I knew you would return."

"To what name do you respond?" He asked coldly, nearing the cot once more now that she was off guard. She hesitated, looked up at him again as he stopped. A flame entered her clouded eyes and her lips twisted in distaste. "Saronedhel." She replied crisply.

The name made the anger he had worked all morning to control churn inside of him fiercely. The name meant _Lover of Elves_. "An interesting name of one of your occupation."

"It is your people who have put me in that occupation, is it not?" She replied, her voice sounding suddenly weary as she coughed and grimaced.

Legolas did not answer, he drew from his cloak the medallion, fighting back the memories which threatened to overcome him as he looked at it. He knew he would lose his serenity if he thought to long on how this murderer had gotten this medallion, _his _medallion. And right now, if he wished to get answers, he needed control.

"You say you are innocent. But can you deny being at Gilloth five years ago at the date of that village's slaughter?"

A pained expression passed over her features, which, except for the long scar running across the side of her face, were flawless and pale.

"Or that you were recognized by this medallion? A medallion which I know has no duplicate."

"How would you know that dear prince." The woman asked wearily, sighing and breathing deeply. "How can you go by face value alone?"

"Because I trust my instincts." He snapped, in no mood for this woman to question his motives.

"You have no reliable proof, no witnesses that can swear to your statement."

"Yes but-"

"No one who can claim to have seen the medallion made."

He heard Aragorn move closer to him, the room was silent except for the harsh breathing of the woman on the cot, _Saronedhel_, as she called herself.

"I know there is none like it." He said harshly, his emotions building up inside of him.

"How? How could you know? Were you present the day it was made?" She asked.

"No-"

"Then you are relying on face value. But then again, you seem to rely on such values often." If she was trying to bait him, it was working. Legolas fought to control his emotions, the fierce hatred he felt towards the sick assassin on the cot. In this room, he felt like a caged animal.

"I know there is no other like it." He growled.

"How do you know?" She pressed again softly.

Legolas could hear his ears ringing, forced hot tears back as he swallowed everything inside of him. "I know because that medallion... was my mother's." His voice cracked and he had to paused before continuing. He would not let this elf-slayer see him broken, would not let her have that satisfaction.

"Really? Can you rely on her word?"

"I have long since learned to trust the word of the dead." He replied bitterly.

There was a thick silence in the room, a silence broken by the stirring of the woman on the cot who had turned to look up at him.

"Of the dead?" She repeated.

Legolas' anger returned, he did not want nor need this woman's sympathy. "Yes, and she has been long dead." He paused, looked down at the smooth metal in his hand. "Where did you get this medallion?"

The soft look in the woman's eyes faded, and she sank back onto the cot. "It is none of your concern."

"I would say it is." Legolas said coldly, his anger building once more.

"Even so, I shall not tell you. I shall never tell you." She said softly. Legolas took a step toward her, his hands in tight fists when he felt a strong arm shoot out and stop him. It was Aragorn. His friend's grey eyes pleaded with him, their depths speaking to him wisdom that he could not handle right now. Legolas scowled and turned away as Aragorn knelt by the woman's side.

* * *

He could see how tense Legolas was as his friend turned away and, placing a hand on the wall, leaned against it. Aragorn sighed, turning to the woman and kneeling next to her. Her gently probed the bandages on her shoulder and her eyes opened in surprise. She was fading, the fever taking hold and delirium setting it. Whatever answer his friend wanted from her, he would not soon get it with her in this state.

Aragorn looked down, instinctively pulling back the cloth on her stomach and running his gaze over it with the eyes of a man who has seen and treated many a wound. Something clicked briefly in the back of his mind causing him to frown. She looked...familiar somehow...if such a thing were even possible. But what past connection could he of had with the assassin of Gilloth?

He could not think on it now, promising to give it further thought when he had the time. Later. He cautiously undid the bonds on her ankles and wrists, and was startled to look up and see her looking at him again. Her expression was soft, her eyes clouded further by her illness. A shadow of a smile passed over her lips.

"Zachary?" She whispered softly, before grimacing, coughing, and turning away from him again. The wound on her side was bleeding once more. He pressed bandages to it and reached for a fresh cloth. "Zachary...Talorta...the jump...too high..."Her words were jumbled.

"She's burning up." He murmured, not really caring whether or not Legolas really wanted to know how she was doing at all.

Aragorn felt a light touch on his arm and found himself looking into the concerned face of the healer. "I will take over from here milord...I believe you should go to Prince Legolas...he looks rather unwell."

Aragorn turned to look at his friend who was still turned away and leaning heavily on the wall. He nodded, "Yes...of course."

* * *

Now, I gave a few subtle hints in this chapter, don't know if anyone picked up on them, but you shall with time. What you should have all guess was who the assassin of Gilloth is. :) Anyway, I'm not allowed to respond to reviews, but thanks to everyone who has responded and a million thank you's to my beta.

Also, I am taking liberties with Legolas' mother. My reasons will eventually be revealed, but in the mean time, please don't flame me for it, because there is a bit more to the medallion mystery. :)

I have become a very proud authoress, in two days short of a month, Safe in My Arms had reached a total of 3561 hits! We've also been added to two C2 community archives. I am so very proud and I have all of you to thank for it! Thank you!

Until next time...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	28. The Medallion :: Continued :: Part Two

Disclaimer: Dragon's fire may burn me, roast me to a flame. But I shall never claim LotR as mine, for as long as time shall remain. (Lol)

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Medallion : Continued

* * *

Legolas did not resist as Aragorn led him up the stairs and away from the dungeons. The elf's back was rigid, the muscles in his shoulders tense. Legolas' eyes were blank, devoid of all emotion. The light was a relief from the dim darkness of the chamber, and Aragorn had to fight back a shudder as he thought of the look on his friend's face as the former had spoke to Saronedhel.

_I have long since learned to trust the word of the dead. _

_Of the dead?_

_Yes, and she has been long dead._

Aragorn had neither heard of, nor thought much of Legolas' mother. Ever since he had known the elf, a mother had never been mentioned. It had always been Thranduil and Legolas, and Aragorn had always assumed that she had passed long ago into the havens.

He had never met his wife's mother, though the story of her departure from this world was not one unfamiliar to him. He had always assumed, for some reason, that something similar had happened to Legolas' unknown mother. He had always assumed that she had never been there...and had never thought to ask.

..._she has long been dead._

What had happened? Nothing made any sense anymore. _Perhaps, _he mused grimly, _it would have been better if we had never returned at all. _He glanced sideways at the drawn face of the elf beside him and frowned. But would have been better? Would staying away have only prolonged the inevitable? All these have and had nots... what _had_ really happened? Where had the medallion come from? And why had the accused slayer of Gilloth had it in her possession? Either there was something larger that he had missed, or else elves were just insane.

They stopped outside under the trees, the prince finally releasing a breath that he had held inside of him since they had departed. His eyes were lost, swimming with memories...with a past that Aragorn had never known. What had Legolas hidden from him? And why had it resurfaced now?

"Mellon nin." He said softly.

The elf turned dazedly at him, his eyes wide and glazed.

"I believe you owe me and explanation." The human said softly.

Legolas stared at him for a moment, his blue-grey eyes clouded. "Yes Estel." He said softly, breaking the silence. "I believe I do."

* * *

_Three Hundred Years Previous_

_The Palace_

_Mirkwood_

* * *

_The brown haired elf had come quickly through the grand halls. The palace, in and of itself, was really a highly decorated cavern, but anyone with brains knew better then to call it such. It lived and breathed with the history of Mirkwood's forefathers. Times etched in the stone which had not been as dark or dangerous. Times that had long since passed from this earth. He could not recall it, it had been too long ago. Too many years had passed. _

_He paused at a door, and, taking a deep breath, he opened the door. The room within was lit brightly by a large window, one that was opened to the sky. A rare view in a forest as dense as Mirkwood. The elf paused again, waited for his presence to be known as he watched the fair-haired elf who stood gazing out the window. _

_He shifted his weight, forcing the urge to cough, down. And, very slowly, the head turned revealing the elegant tip of a pointed ear and the clear gaze of two, blue-grey eyes. The figure looked at him with a small smile. _

_"You could have coughed."_

_The brown haired elf shrugged. "You knew I was here."_

_The fair hair elf nodded, glancing once more out the window and then turned to face him completely._ _His face was taunt with fatigue and guilt, a look he had never seen before on the face of the prince. _

_"So...how is he?" The prince asked tentatively, and the brown haired elf could visibly see the latter stiffen, as if bracing himself for what was to come. _

_"Your brother, Legolas... the fall after the attack drove the arrow into his heart...he didn't make it." The brown haired elf said softly. He saw Legolas close his eyes, sighing, as if accepting the loss with great pain._

_"I knew it somehow...I knew it the moment you came in." He turned away, and the light that streamed through Legolas' window seemed suddenly dull, and the brown haired elf could see the tears in his prince's eyes. "Celebas...its all my fault." The Prince whispered, lowering his head. "I'm so sorry."_

_"No my Lord, it wasn't your fault_." _He said softly. "No one detected the orcs...it was something none knew. Your brother knew what he was getting into when he rode out to meet them."_

_Legolas did not answer, and the brown haired elf knew he would have to deliver the other message that had been thrust upon him. Curse them all! It tore him in two to see his prince and lord like this. _

_"There is more my lord-"_

_Legolas jerked to him, his eyes wide with fear. "What more...what do you speak of?"_

_The brown haired elf hesitated, "Your mother fell ill when news of Prince Celebas' injury reached her."_

_Legolas nodded impatiently. "Yes, I know. But that was a week ago, surely she is well by now?"_

_Yes, she should be. Thought the brown-haired elf bitterly, thinking of his peoples' quick healing capabilities. _

_"Cullas...what aren't you telling me?" Legolas demanded, taking a step closer to the warrior...the warrior who had been his body-guard for hundreds of years now. _

_"The Queen has taken a turn for the worse my lord...Legolas..." He said, slipping into a less formal tone. _

_"...she is dying."_

* * *

Legolas turned away suddenly from Aragorn, and the human could distinctly see the traces of tears in his eyes, as well as a bitter anger and remorse that had suddenly consumed the elf's words. But Aragorn did not press his friend, and new with a sudden clarity how hard it must be for Legolas to reveal this to him now...a past that had been buried within him for so long.

"You don't have to finish _mellon nin_." Aragorn said softly, putting a comforting hand on the elf's shoulder. Legolas shook his head, swiping angrily at the hot tears that had momentarily clouded his vision.

"No. It is time you knew."

"But this is much more then I thought-"

Legolas cut him off sharply, turning to face him again. "Then you thought was hidden in the ranks of the royal family of Mirkwood's past?"

Aragorn nodded dumbly, taking in quickly that it was better not to say anything at all right now.

"And you're right. I'll bet you've never even heard of my brother, have you?" He asked softly, the anger in his eyes dying down. When Aragorn didn't answer, he continued softly. "His death was one heavily mourned by my father. He was the elder of us, and my mother's pride and joy." He hesitated again, "His death...was one that was not spoken of for a long time." Legolas looked up again, studying his friend's face. "You are probably the only human to have heard of it in hundreds of years."

"You loved your brother...very deeply...didn't you?" Aragorn asked gently.

Legolas nodded sadly. "Yes...and I loved my mother even more."

* * *

_Three Hundred Years Previous_

_The Palace_

_Mirkwood_

* * *

_Legolas hadn't spared a second when Cullas had told him the news. But even as Legolas raced through the grand halls of the palace, his heart beating wildly, his mind continued silence his protests. It couldn't be true! He wanted to scream. The Eldar do not die, we are immortal! And yet his brother lay dead. And his mother was dying...from a broken heart. Such things happened only in the days of old... And yet she was dying, dying just as Celebas had. _

_And there was nothing he could do._

* * *

_"My Lord...she is gravely ill." The guard at the door said, holding back the prince as he tried to force he way through. _

_"Let me pass! Damn you! Let me pass!" He shouted, his face reddening with rage. The guard at the door was struggling to keep him back, his arm reflexively denying Legolas' entrance. "She's my mother!" He cried._

_"And you are your father's only son my lord! Do you wish to suffer the same fate as she?" The guard demanded, his heart torn in two at trying to keep the young Prince from his mother. _

_"She had suffered no fate! She still breathes." With one final effort he jabbed the guard hard in the side, and shoved him away from the door. Without giving another moment's notice at the results of his anger, he opened the door as hurriedly as he could and ran inside. _

_There were a number of healers in the room, all looking down at the Queen with looks of sorrow so utterly complete that Legolas felt the awful fear rise again in his throat. It was impossible...she couldn't be...he tuned to the bed, saw his father kneeling at her side. _

_And he saw her mother, saw her whispering something to the elven king. A smile of relief graced his lips for only a moment as relief flooded his mind. She was still alive, she was still here. He could save her still!_

_He rushed to her side, his father turning to him in surprise. His gaze darkened. "I told them to keep you away-" He muttered darkly. _

_"I am no longer a child ada." He said fiercely. He turned away from the king, and met the eyes of his mother...the blue eyes of his mother...eyes that were fading. No...he hadn't been too late...she was still here. _

_"Legolas." She whispered, raising her hands to him with a soft smile. He knelt, staring unbelievingly at the cold hands that now held his...no...it was impossible...it had to be. "My son." She whispered, caressing his cheek. "My son." Her smile was encouraging...but she was weak now...and so pale...so very pale..._

_"I believe we will be parting soon." She said softly. "Though I did not want you to see me like this." She added, almost as an afterthought before continuing. _

_Legolas swallowed hard, wanting to mirror her smile, but finding instead his face frozen. "No mother, you'll be well again. You shall not leave us." He said, wishing...wanting desperately to convey his meaning to her. She couldn't die...she just couldn't..._

_"Fate plays curious tricks on us Legolas...dear Legolas...I shall miss you..." Her grip was weakening on his hands, her eyes closing. _

_"Mother-" He started, but she cut him off, pointing to a medallion on her night-stand. _

_"That is for you, dear Legolas, it was given to me by my mother when she passed, and now it belongs to you."_

_He took it from the table, staring at the strange, cold metal in his hands. "There is no other like it in this world. Keep it...to remember me by..."_

_He stared at the medallion, looked up and opened his mouth to protest, but the hand that held his was no longer there. He looked up, hearing a sudden cry of grief from his father. _

_He looked at her face, and found himself unable to tear his gaze away. For the eyes with had held light only moments ago...had faded. _

_His mother was dead. _

* * *

_Two Hundred and Fifty Years Later_

* * *

_Legolas hated the strained silences he often shared with his father. He sighed, this one was no different. Thranduil, the great elven king of Mirkwood, was not happy with his son. _

_"Reports have been coming in from several villages." He said gravely, looking out a window to the forest. _

_Legolas pursed his lips, he knew of the reports. EVERYONE knew of the reports. Terror had begun to flow through the forest of Mirkwood...for orcs had been traveling through the ancient trees. And no one could figure out how they were doing it. _

_Thranduil turned to him, his eyes dark and brooding, he looked up at his son. "I want you to take a company of warriors and destroy them. I do not care how long it takes. This is a threat we can no longer ignore."_

_Legolas fought his anger words and the only display of emotion could be seen in his reddening cheeks. The orcs had not been ignored, he had gone out searching for them for weeks now. What made his father think that this expedition would be any different? But he bit back his words of bitterness...they would only fall on deaf ears. His father would care very little to any protests he had. _

_"Yes ada." He said crisply, avoiding showing any emotion in his voice. _

_Thranduil met his gaze, and for a moment Legolas saw something like concern fly past the elder elf's eyes. "Be careful Legolas." He said softly. _

_But Legolas already knew the true meaning behind his father's words. What he meant was, _

Don't die.

* * *

All right, another chapter. :) Now, the mystery of the medallion should start to fall into place for those of you who have REALLY been paying attention. But if not, don't worry about it. There are still more flashbacks to come. :) Now, I hope you all understood that the flashbacks in this chapter came WAY before the flashback in the previous chapter.

Look at the headings for each flashback carefully BEFORE you read it so you don't get confused. :)

I'm also taking liberties with Legolas' family. Tolkien never mentions any siblings of Legolas, or even Legolas' mother. But I am for the sake of the story. By the way, Celebas means, 'Silverleaf'. So Silverleaf and Greenleaf...get it:) lol.

Lastly, I have a little contest for you all, I want you to find me an actor and two actress that you think would play the roles of Faerlain, Araviniel, and our dear Victoria. :) I was interested in finding out what everyone thinks my characters look like. So do me proud!

If you have a question, ask it in your review and leave your email, and I'll reply to it right away!

Thanks to all who reviewed and most especially to my beta, Kiann:)

TO BE CONTINED...


	29. The Medallion :: Concluded :: Part Two

Disclaimer: Dragon's fire may burn me, roast me to a flame. But I shall never claim LotR as mine, for as long as time shall remain. (Lol)

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Medallion : Concluded

* * *

_Three Hundred Years Ago_

_Mirkwood_

* * *

_...During their past month, the orcs had always left a trail behind. And now, there was no sign of even a broken branch. It was almost as if they had disappeared. But that was impossible, orcs were not skilled enough to hide traces of their existence so throughly. His grey mount called out in fright and the rest of the horses started at the sudden noise. _

_"Easy my friend." Legolas called, reaching out to the horse, but the gelding only flattened his ears and screamed in fear. "What is it?"_

_"Milord?" Called one of the warriors softly, Legolas turned to him, noticed with a deepening frown that the others were drawing arrows from their quivers and fitting them to their bows. _

_"Tathar?" Legolas called in reply. _

_The warriors were looking up into the tree tops, and Legolas never had a chance to draw even his ivory daggers before they attacked...dropping from the trees above. And as he watched the first land in front of him, he could only wonder in astonishment how they had surprised them all like this_.

_There had been no time to brace himself, no time to even draw his daggers before the first ones started to fall. Dropping from the trees like insects they swarmed about the unsuspecting elves who had little time to prepare a defense against the sheer numbers of the goblins who had already begun to over-whelm them. _

_And it was then, that the first warrior fell. Legolas felt a pang of pain and guilt as he watched his companion fall. And with a start he realized it had been his body-gaurd, Cullas. Cullas had been the first to fall...and he would not be the last. _

_There were more orcs before him now...surrounding him and forcing him to rethink his strategy. Thus far, it had mainly been slicing through their ranks and trying to battle with his initial surprise...but that surprise was over now. And he realized that the ranks of orcs were swelling. He slung his bow again over his shoulders, choosing instead his twin daggers which were preferable for hand to hand combat. _

_The orcs were heavily armored, and it amazed his further that they had been able to stay so soundlessly in the trees...unless they had made noises and he and his company had been too stupid to realize what they were...it was definitely something he did not want to consider further. Setting his face into one of deep concentration, he blocked and parried with the screeching goblins as they howled and moved closer in on them. _

_He felled many, taking grim satisfaction as he watched them die...but that satisfaction was soon dissolving as he noted that no matter how many he killed...their numbers still increased. And Legolas knew, with a calm serenity that startled him slightly, that his life was not nearly so indispensable. _

_They kept coming in, he slashed and he parried, he slit their throats and spilled their insides...and still they kept coming. He was covered in orc blood now, he could feel the warm, sticky liquid on his arms. And suddenly, he felt a flash of pain in his thigh and with a startled cry he fell to his knees. He looked down, still growling menacingly at the approaching orcs. There was a dagger, an orc dagger protruding from his left thigh. There was another flash of pain in his arm as an orc slid its knife right through it. _

_"PRINCE LEGOLAS!" Someone called, it was one of his warriors, he could not see his face. There were more jabs now, the circle of orcs forcing him to the ground. The pain was beginning to intensify, his vision blurred. _

_"Retreat!" He shouted, "Go! Tell my father!"_

_"We cannot leave without you!" The blurry voice said desperately. _

_"GO! I will not let you die because of me!" He growled, he was falling forward, the orcs all around. And he wondered suddenly as his vision blackened completely, if his father would ever forgive him for disobeying his last command. _

Don't die.

* * *

"_Prince Legolas?" The dreamy voice called into his blurred thoughts. He suppressed the urge to move, it was too wonderful here...to wonderful to leave. But the voice kept calling and with a resigned sigh, he tore himself from his dream._

_And his efforts were immediately rewarded by pain...and lots of it. He groaned at the suddenness this new feeling and squirmed a little to try and relieve it. _

_"Don't move your highness." Said the voice again, only it had lost its dream-like quality, and now sounded much more harsh...more real. _

_Legolas grimaced over the wave of pain and slowly opened his eyes, finding himself looking into the face of a battle-worn, brown-haired elf. That face immediately melted with relief. _

_"It is good to see you awake again milord." The elf said. _

_"Where am I? What happened?" He asked groggily, his hand slowly rose and he pressed his palm to the pain throbbing on the right side of his forehead. Currently, that pain was what was bothering him the most. _

_"The battle with the orcs milord...we lost." The elf said quietly. _

_Legolas turned his grey gaze toward the elf, and his eyes widened in astonishment. _

_"None of the others survived milord, the orcs were thorough with their work." He stated very slowly, as if each word pained him to speak it. _

_Legolas closed his eyes, reliving those last memories, the memories before he had blacked out. "How did I survive?" He asked vaguely, he could recall telling the others to go...then how had he survived and the had not?_

_The elf met his inquiring gaze. "I pulled you out." He said simply and softly. The words, so simple, had a world of meaning behind them...meaning that the younger elf apparently was not yet ready to share. He would not force him to. _

_Legolas felt his eyes burn hot with angry tears. Those others had been his responsibility, and they had died for him. This elf had risked his life to save him, and now he was alive. And all the others were dead. He looked up into the sorrowful face of his rescuer, fighting back his hatred as he wondered why the Gods had spared him a death that would have relieved so many of his fears and troubles. _

_"What is your name?" He asked the brown-haired elf quietly. _

_The elf, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, turned to him and sighed. "Faerlain, milord, my name is Faerlain."_

_Faerlain...he would remember that name. The name of the elf who had save his life._

* * *

_The days and nights were always the same, drifting in and out of each other. They were filled with pain and sorrow, hatred and loss. Legolas was feverish for days, he could not move, the pain was everywhere. Consuming his mind and tearing him to pieces, and still Faerlain was there. Holding him steady, helping him to walk, even carrying him further into the woods...and away from the horror of the battle. _

_They had to keep moving, the orcs could be anywhere, and they would be on top of the battle-weary elves before their worn senses would even know they were there. They had to keep moving. _

_"Do not sleep yet Prince Legolas, we still have to get a ways further." Faerlain said softly to him as they continued their hellish pace through the forest. _

_Legolas groaned inwardly, but gave no outward sign of his internal weariness to his comrade. "I think...I will not be able to go much further." He said slowly, leaning heavily on Fearlain's muscled shoulders and stumbling on some unseen object in his path. _

_"Just hold on." Faerlain whispered to him, then suddenly, he stopped. Legolas blearily opened his eyes and looked into the face of his companion. _

_"What's wrong?" He asked heavily, his breathing now coming in heaves and gasps. _

_"We need to get off the ground." He said softly, glancing around the wood with a frown on his face. "Something is following us." He added softly, almost as an afterthought. Legolas stood up straighter, realizing full well that his fears were slowly becoming a reality. If something had indeed followed them, they would not have much time to hide. _

_Fearlain moved quickly, his body, though slowing through the long strain of the battle and in taking care of Legolas, still moved quickly and gracefully through the forest until they came to a tall tree. Fearlain frowned again as he looked up at it, and then turned to Legolas, meeting his gaze._

_"Do you think you could climb it?" He asked quietly. Legolas looked up at the tree towering above them. At any other time he would have said yes in a heart beat, but with a deep wound in his thigh that made movement nigh on impossible..._

_At the present time, the tree didn't exactly look climbable to him. _

_He met Fearlain's eyes with the wordless reply the other had, apparently, been expecting. For Legolas didn't even have time to protest as the elf snaked his hand around the prince's waist and began to climb the towering tree. Legolas clenched his teeth as the impact sends bolts of pain through his body, but he said nothing. He tried not to think of what would happen if Faerlain's grip should weaken on his body...or if...by some worse slip of fate, they both crashed to the forest floor. _

_But by some blessing Faerlain managed to get safely high into the branches without slipping and he sat very still catching his breath before Legolas finally heard what had been following them. It was their prey that had turned so violently against them, for Legolas could see through his widened eyes the orcs as they ran past their hiding place deeper into the forest. _

_Legolas breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes, leaning back against the tree as the last orc past and turned to Faerlain in astonishment. "That is twice that you saved my life from the same vermin."_

_Faerlain managed a weary smile, "Both times I wasn't only saving your hide your highness, my own neck needed saving as well on both occasions." _

_Legolas fought the grimace that threatened to surface to his face and peered down once again to the forest floor. "Do you think they've gone?"_

_Faerlain shrugged, "I don't know. Either way, we might as well keep ourselves comfortable here for a while, I don't know if you noticed, but their ranks are thinning, so either they've been fighting among themselves, or something else found them that we don't know about yet."_

_Legolas wasn't quite sure which of these guesses sounded better, for neither sounded very hopeful for either of them. In the canopy of the tree, there was a flat alcove that almost looked as if it had been made for the very purpose of occupying strange visitors, there was plenty of room for both elves to stretch out without having to worry about falling to their deaths below. _

_"Lay down." Faerlain said after a while, "I need to check the cut on your leg, you weren't walking well before."_

_Legolas tried to protest but the strain of his wound was indeed beginning to tell upon him. He met the other's gaze and, sighing in defeat, he stretched out flat and closed his eyes. _

_He was asleep before he could even feel Faerlain's hand probing the swollen skin around his wound. _

* * *

_Legolas woke later to the distinct realization that he could no longer move his leg without an intense spasm of pain. He groaned as he tried to move and the all too familiar pounding entered his head once more. _

_"I was afraid of that." Muttered his companion from somewhere nearby. He felt Faerlain's gentle hands moving across his wound, his clenched his fists in an effort from crying out, and Fearlain's probing suddenly lessened. "Well, that's no better then it was before." The elf said lightly. "I'm amazed you could walk at all."_

_Legolas fought to remain conscious as his pain whirled inside his mind, he slowly opened his eyes and focused on the other elf, who apparently seemed to be lost in thought. The strange elf enthralled him, so young a warrior showing such amazing ways of surviving. He blinked, studying his companions grey eyes and elegantly chiseled face, one that was marked with stubbornness and fearlessness. The questions whirled around his his mind so fast that they made his head spin, he could not restrain himself any longer. "Fearlain?" He asked hesitantly. _

_The other's grey eyes fastened upon him. _

_"The fight, with the orcs...how did we survive?" The question had a double meaning, how did the two of them survive when all the rest had perished. The pained look entered Faerlain's eyes, the haunted gaze that had filled face for so many days. _

_Faerlain's face was unreadable, the emotions plastered onto to him like a wall, he looked away, "I'd rather not just yet milord."_

_Legolas did not speak for a long moment, then, slowly, his hand moved to the silver medallion he wore underneath his tunic. He pulled the clasp loose and held it in his hand. The sapphire horse stood rearing in its center, the mark of bravery and freedom. The medallion his mother had given to him. Using his free hand he placed it gently in Fearlain's hand and closed the other's fingers around it. _

_Faerlain jerked, looking into his hand in wonder and astonishment. He looked back up at Legolas, "You cannot give me this my lord." He said in awe, looking down again at the finely crafted metal. _

_"I can, and I will." Legolas said softly. "You saved me, and I am in your debt."_

_"No milord." Faerlain said suddenly. "I did as I was trained to do, and even then it was not enough. I saved you, but my companions were slain." He said bitterly, he looked down at the medallion in his hand, the pain looked appearing briefly on his face. "I do not deserve this." He said softly, he reached his hand out to return the medallion to Legolas but the prince pushed it away. _

_"You fought with honor Faerlain." A weary smile made its way onto Legolas' face. "And saving me isn't something to be regretful for is it?" For the truth was, the death of his warriors was not Faerlain's fault at all, it was his own. And he would not stand to see so young a warrior burden himself with such a heavy guilt. The elf would tell him his story in time, he would not pressure him for it now._

_Faerlain stared at him for a moment more, the look of guilt and sorrow still shadowed in his face, he shook his head, and then fastened the chain around his neck and slid the medallion under his tunic. Legolas nodded with satisfaction, then laid back against the knotted bark of the tree and closed his eyes. "There is one thing you could do for me Faerlain." He said softly as he began to drift off to sleep."_

_"Yes milord?" The eager voice replied, clearly uncomfortable still for being awarded for actions he did not think he deserved, and wanting still to earn his prince's trust. _

_"Please, call me Legolas."_

* * *

_It was not yet morning, he could tell by the way the gentle rays of the sun peeked through the leaves of the tree tops. Legolas fought back his groan as all the old injuries melted back into his conscious mind, with surprise, he realized that he was moving. Or...he wasn't really moving...someone _else_ was moving_ him_. He blinked awake further, regretting his decision to wake at all almost instantly afterward. He was draped across Faerlain's shoulders, and by the dampness of the later's tunic, Legolas could tell that the warrior had been carrying him for a while. He was walking quickly, his breathing labored as he ran through the forest. _

_"Faerlain?" Legolas called weakly. _

_The brown-haired warrior stopped instantly, jarring his prince's wounds and causing the injured elf to let out a cry of pain. He quickly lowered him to the ground. "I'm sorry!"_

_"What's...happened?" He panted, battling with waves of pain that tore through him as Faerlain fought to keep him still. _

_"Your condition has gotten worse, we have to get back to the palace, you need medical attention, it is the only way."_

_Legolas nodded, knowing full well now that he had no strength left to walk. Faerlain was carefully avoiding stating the obvious, that if they didn't get help soon...he would die. He wasn't sure if the thought of death frightened him or not. Death was the untold adventure, the unwritten story. The story so few of his people ever read. The story both Celebas and his mother had already finished. He wondered vaguely where they were now...whether or not he would be joining them soon._

_"No! You mustn't think this way!" Faerlain nearly shouted at him, the warrior frantically applying pressure to one of his many wounds. _

_Legolas realized he must have spoken aloud and decided it might be better if he just went to sleep now, and saved Faerlain the trouble of dealing with him. _

_"No! Curses! What is driving this madness Legolas? You cannot leave me now!"_

_Legolas looked curiously into the face of the younger warrior, he was not terribly young by any standards. Maybe only a few decades younger then the prince himself. Legolas frowned, do I look so old in my own eyes? I feel it. He gazed up at Faerlain, his gaze unwavering. "Why am I not already dead?" He asked gently. _

_Faerlain's eyes widened, the panic evaporating as the warrior clutched at the medallion beneath his tunic. He looked away, toward the sky, the pain re-entered the grey eyes and he winced as if he had remembered something he rather he had not. _

_"You were falling, the others fought and I ran into the circle to pull you out." He began slowly. "I pulled you out, and I carried you to the edge of the forest, I went to go back and fight, but the others told me to stay...to bring you back to safety. I did not listen. I ran back to them as they fought, and two of the orcs drug me away. Why they did not kill me I do not know. It was over swiftly for them, and I tried to run back..." His voice broke and he turned away. "I tried to get to them...to save them...but it was too late." His voice cracked and Legolas frowned in confusion. _

_"Too late?" He asked quietly._

_There were tears in Faerlain's eyes as he answered. "There was nothing left to save." He said softly. He took a deep breath, and pulled out the medallion. He stared at it as it rested in his out-stretched palm. He looked up at Legolas, "Why did you give this to me? I fought with no valor or courage, I could not save my friends."_

_Legolas winced as a wave of pain rippled through his body. "It was given to me by my mother when she lay dying. Celebas had already passed, and she wanted me to live." He focused on the weary face of the elf before him. "You kept her wish for me Faerlain, you, more then me, deserve that medallion. There is no other like it in all of Middle-earth, guard it well."_

_Faerlain nodded and Legolas closed his eyes, he was so tired now...he had done his part, said what he wanted to say. He could hear footsteps coming rapidly toward them, heard Faerlain jump up to meet their pursuers, but he was so tired..._

_...and the darkness came too easily._

* * *

Legolas stopped, adjusting his gaze to Aragorn. "The next time I woke up I was in my bedroom, my father was asleep by my side. It was some weeks later. A group of warriors had pursued the orcs and slaughtered most, the rest had escaped into various parts of the forest...but there numbers were now few. I recovered not long after, and I returned to my duty of protecting the borders."

"Did you ever see Faerlain again?" Asked the king.

"Yes, a number of times actually. He came to see me when I was recovering, we had long talks, and I would like to believe that we became good friends. He returned to his home in Gilloth when his father passed to the Havens, leaving his mother and sister behind. His sister was a handmaid to my mother, and she returned home with him some years later." The later's grey eyes darkened. "They were in Gilloth as far as I knew when the attack came."

Aragorn's brows furrowed in thought, "And the medallion?"

"Faerlain wore it every day of his life. He took the loss of his company very hard, and the thought of having saved me was the only thing that kept him sane for a long while after." Legolas clenched his fists at his sides. "He would have never given up that medallion Aragorn, and I knew it on sight. Whoever that elf-slayer is, he would never have given it to _her."_

"So either she stole it..."

"Orshe killed him for it." Legolas finished darkly. "And however she got it, I'm going to find out."

* * *

Now you all know why the medallion is so important to Legolas...and why he is so upset that the elf-slayer of Gilloth has it. Now that he knows this...what will be do to poor Victoria? You will see. :) Yes, you will see. :)

Thank you to all who reviewed! Remember, if you want to ask a question, leave your email in your review so that I can answer you. A million thanks to my beta, Kiann!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	30. Unexpected :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's work. I support the books and the films. I hate smut and slash. End of Story.

* * *

Chapter Thirty

Unexpected

* * *

The elf-slayer was not well. The healer frowned as he looked down at her. It was an awkward situation, even if he should heal the woman, she would most likely be sentenced to death during her trial. He had managed to slip the shoulder back into its socket, but the swelling had intensified. Now she burned with fever.

He shook his head, what to do indeed. Prince Legolas would return, he was stubborn, and the elf-slayer possessed something he greatly desired.

* * *

Aragorn sat deep in thought that night. Legolas' story had come as...not so much as a shock...but more like a swift surprise left him gasping. A brief glimpse into his friend's past.

There were too many pieces to this puzzle, too many problems left unsolved from what he had learned. It didn't matter really, he knew Legolas would return to question the ill woman. He winced as he thought of Legolas' rage, the elf-slayer, for her own sake, better have what his friend was looking for.

For Aragorn would be able to do very little to stop him.

* * *

Legolas returned every morning for two days to question Saronedhel, but both times he was awarded only by the harshness of her breathing in her unconscious state. But now he had received word that she had awaken, and he was now ready to face her again.

The trial was only two days away, but the judgement was already unanimous: death. Trial or no, Saronedhel would die for her crimes against the elves of Mirkwood and the elves of Gilloth would be avenged.

But before this elf-slayer died, she had to tell him what had happened to Faerlain.

She just had to.

* * *

The dungeon seemed colder the day before the trial. He had tried questioning both days previous to this, but she had been delirious with fever. The healer had just sent word that her fever had finally broke, and that he could now try to question her if he liked.

This was his only chance in the world to find out what had happened to Faerlain. With Aragorn walking just beside him, his face set grimly, the prince continued his train of thought as they continued through the dank dungeons. The guards stationed at the door let him pass, and the walked in to find the healer bent over the woman.

He looked up briefly at their entrance, then rose, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "My lords." He said, bowing respectively to them both.

"How is she?" Asked Aragorn as the human and elf moved closer to the still figure laying upon the cot.

"Her fever has been reduced, but the shoulder is inflamed. I don't know how much longer she had hold out like this." The healer replied softly, glancing at the woman as he did.

Legolas stopped a few paces away, heard Aragorn speak again from behind him. "May I?"

"Of course my Lord. I have various herbs in that bag by the cot if you have need of them."

Legolas watched as Aragorn neared the bed, he pressed his hand to the woman's pale cheek and she jerked, slightly startled, from her sleep. "I am not going to hurt you." He said soothingly.

The woman's eyes widened, focusing on him for a moment, then her tensed muscles relaxed and she sighed as she laid back on the cot. Aragorn felt her forehead, frowned, then moved to undo the ties of her tunic by her shoulder. Legolas could visibly see her body tense again as Aragorn gently touched the inflamed surface. He could see Aragorn's frown deepen, he rubbed his forehead, his eyes narrowing as if trying to remember something.

And Legolas stood still, staring at the broken figure before him. It was hard to imagine that this pale, stick-like figure of a woman could have killed so many. But it nigh on an impossibility for his anger to disappear toward her either. She jerked again as Aragorn applied pressure to her shoulder, her breathing became labored and she blearily opened her eyes and met his gaze.

She blinked for a minute, focusing on his face, a look of pain flickered across her haggard features. "I thought I was dead until I saw you." She said softly.

"Where did you get the medallion?" He asked, his voice neither strained nor loud. He held her piercing gaze, her blue eyes clouded with pain. Good, let her see that he wanted those answers. Let her read that he already knew her end. Let her know that he wanted nothing else then the answers to the riddles before she met that end.

She was silent for a moment, studying him before she answered. "It meant something to you...didn't it?" She asked. She focused on the blue horse, on the medallion that rested on Legolas' chest. As a reminder that the friend he had given it to had disappeared, and this woman had had it in her possession.

"Yes." He said coldly. "It did."

There was no fire left in her now, no fresh retorts, no fights left to give. She knew. She _knew_ what awaited her with the coming of dawn. She knew that she would die. And she was accepting it.

Her eye refocused on his face, and for a moment, he saw the swiftest pang of regret and sorrow in them before they clouded over once more. "It meant something to me too."

His anger began to flare and he fought wildly to keep it at bay. "Where did you get the medallion?" He demanded.

"I heard great things about you prince." She said softly. "I heard of great battles in distant lands. I heard of evil enemies and great victories. Great losses, and greater sorrows."

"I do not wish to riddle with you." He growled.

"I heard about the hero you had become, and how many eyes in Mirkwood looked to you with pride. While many others turned to you with contempt and disgust. Disgust that you were not here to protect your own country. For we fought our battles without you."

"It has already been determined that you were seen in Gilloth and that you slayed those elves." He continued angrily. "Tell me where and how you got this medallion so that I rest in peace with your execution on tomorrow's eve."

She looked at the medallion briefly, then once again met his gaze. She smiled sadly, the first smile he had ever seen. "I die innocent, I shall do nothing to ease your conscience of that."

He felt a hand on his shoulder, saw Aragorn. "Come, we should go." He heard the latter mutter.

It would be the last time he saw the pale woman on the cot with her fiery blue eyes.

For Legolas would not attend the trial.

* * *

The verdict was final. Death by beheading. The execution would be carried out by a company of twenty warriors on the edge of the forest. The elf-slayer of Gilloth, had startled more then stunned the citizens of Mirkwood when she had been brought before them on a white pallet. She hardly had enough strength to keep herself standing as the law required of the accused.

Saronedhel heard the door to her cell open, she saw the healer enter followed by two guards. She could read nothing from their faces, they were set in stone. They started to lift up her cot, but she refused, sitting up and rising shakily to her feet. She took a hesitant step forward, nearing collapsing as a warrior quickly assisted her to keep her upright. She gave him silent thanks only with her eyes as the two slid their arms under her shoulders and helped her to walk up the flight of steps.

She fought back a cry of pain as her inflamed shoulder was jostled against the strong back of one of the guards. And inside, she silent regretted what she was about to do.

The warriors never knew what hit them as she faked a stumble, and sent them reeling backwards, tumbling down to the cell below.

* * *

Now, do any of you have any idea what happened at the end of that last chapter? Well, you shall find out soon enough. :) This was the elf-slayer's last confrontation with Legolas, so what will happen next? Also, I wanted to note, the Gwenél (The Ghost of Mirkwood) is still a part of the story for anyone who was wondering. She will be making her appearance once more in a short period of time. :)

Thanks to Kiann for beta-ing, and thanks to XClaireX (Great to hear from you again), Auramin (I hope my above Author's Note answered your question. :)), Jedi Knight Bus (All will be well in the end. :)), Nethien, Fk306 anime lover, IwishChan, Becca, and Katie for your reviews!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	31. Ghost Hunt :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing or nobody.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One

Ghost Hunt

* * *

It had been a long three days. Legolas paced the room irritably, angry with himself that he had not gone to the trial, nor witnessed or received conformation of the elf-slayer's demise. He wasn't sure yet which was bothering him more. He had gotten satisfaction for those whom he had loved...but why would the tension not leave his body? Why would the medallion not leave his haunted mind? He paced his room again, glancing every so often out his large, single window out to the city and the forest beyond.

He absentmindedly fingered the medallion where it laid on his chest. Yes, Faerlain and his mother would get the justice they deserved. He scowled at the mystery Saronedhel had left behind...where she had gotten the medallion...and what had she done to Faerlain to get it. He would find out someday...somehow. But the answers all seemed to evade his grasp, and the more he thought on the puzzle, the more frustrated he became.

Turning swiftly, he exited his room and made his way to the dining hall. It was early as of yet, but, as usual, he found Aragorn seated and already eating. There was a troubled look on the human's face, a question of uneasiness as he nibbled aimlessly on a piece of bread. The elf seated himself across from his friend and watched with slight amusement as his friend jerked from his stupor back into reality.

"Sleep well?" Legolas asked as he shifted his position in the chair, glancing briefly at the human's untouched meal. Aragorn shrugged, the uneasiness seeping back into his rugged features.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern evident in his voice at his friend's unusual behavior. "Are you well?"

"Fine." Aragorn replied, he paused, set the bread on his plate and clasped his hands before him, elbows on the wooden table. "Haven't you found it strange that no one has reported Saronedhel's death?"

Legolas tried to shrug the troubled thoughts that clouded his own mind on the subject. "I was not present at the trial...they would have reported directly to my father."

"But would no one say anything? Is justice kept that quiet in Eryn Lasgalen?"

Legolas frowned, the thoughts drifting back of their own accord. "Then you've heard nothing either."

"No one has. No report has been given...which I thought was required after any sort of punishment."

"It is...but as I said-"

"I know... it's your father's business. But wouldn't he share that information with you? He knows you were connected to this case. Besides that, why would he conceal it from you and the whole of Mirkwood?"

No, the pieces were not fitting in at all. Legolas felt a fit of uneasiness curling inside of him and he instinctively clutched at the medallion. Surely Saronedhel must of been executed...there had been a company of twenty of his warriors. Twenty against a weak human woman. The odds were impossible. "I don't like it." He said grimly, trying to think of a way to solve the riddle.

"Neither do I. But what do you propose to do about it?" Aragorn asked, looking at the elf for answers to the unsolved puzzle.

"I'm not sure."

There was a sudden commotion in the kitchen across the hall and the voices of the elves within suddenly grew to a nervous pitch. Legolas stood sharply, listening for the reason of their uneasiness. A servant girl came running out in the direction of the main hall. Legolas intercepted her with a quick jerk of his hand and she stopped, staring at him through wide, blue eyes.

"What has happened? What is the reason for all this fuss?" He demanded, gazing intently at her.

"Forgive me my Liege." She said hurriedly. "The city is in an uproar-she had struck again!"

"Who? Who is she that you speak?" Asked Aragorn, coming up to stand next to his friend.

The young elf maiden's eyes darted between them with a look of bewilderment on her face. "Do you not know my lords? She...Gwenél! A band of warriors had gone out hunting and they found eighteen more victims!"

"Eighteen?" Legolas exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes-on the outskirts of the forest. They are being brought in now. But that isn't all. Those found were the very ones supposed to execute the elf-slayer. The head executioner's axe is bloody...but the elf-slayer's body is no where to be found."

* * *

"What will you do?" Asked Aragorn quietly that night.

It was true, the rumors. Gwenél had indeed struck again, and had harmed eighteen of Mirkwood's warriors. Legolas sighed, shook his head, this was becoming far too difficult now. They had gone immediately to see the warriors. All had suffered from the same illness, the amnesia, slight insanity and weakness. None could walk. It was strange, very strange. And even as he had walked into the room where frantic healers darted between the numerous warriors, he could not help but notice a certain smell in the air. Faint, yes, but still noticeable. Sweet and soft...gentle...he was stirred out of his meditations by a sharp jerk to reality. This was no ghost. Well, no ordinary ghost anyway.

Gwenél was real...and she was a danger to his people. A danger that needed and had to be stopped. "I think we have only choice _mellon nin._"He said, his voice cool and collected. "I think we're going on that Ghost Hunt after all."

* * *

Sorry for the long delay, school has been unbearable (nearly anyway) and I wanted to finish my other LotR story so that I could concentrate on this one. Updates are coming! I promise you! Just give me some time and don't worry, I'm not leaving this story out to die. :)

Thanks to all who reviewed and to Kiann for betaing!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	32. No Answers :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two

No Answers

* * *

_Five Years Previous_

_Somewhere in Mirkwood _

* * *

Talorta galloped madly through the forest until the shouts of the elven warriors were only a faint murmur long behind us. The pain blinded my eyes, the rain stung my face. I was covered in not only my blood, but the blood of the elven children, the men, the women...of Mirlaic...and of Caden. All of them. And somehow...it was all my fault. That knowledge stung worse then any wound, festering inside of me...threatening to tear me to pieces. I couldn't breathe...could live with myself. And now the arrow wound was becoming too much to bear. I knew I was losing strength and I also knew I would die here, now, this day.

Or was it night? The images were becoming dulled in my mind I could see nor understand anything. Only that I was dying...and that this would be the end. Talorta darted through the trees as I sunk farther onto his neck, clutching his mane and letting my body sway to the rhythmic movement of his body, of his legs pounding the earth. Caden's sword was clutched weakly in my hand, his words echoing dimly in my mind.

Talorta suddenly tripped, his body tipping forward onto his knees and I cried out in utter agony as I toppled from his back and slammed into a tree. A light flashed before my eyes as the pain erupted up and down my body like fire. Caden's sword flew from my grasp and I heard Talorta whinny. I heard his hooves tearing up the earth as he ran on. Leaving me, bleeding and wounded, alone in the wood.

* * *

_Present_

* * *

It was strange, leaving his home once more in such a short period of time. The preparations for the hunt were made within the day and the following morning, Legolas, Aragorn, and a party of five other warriors said their farewells, mounted their elvish horses, and set off into the forest. It was dreary and misty out as they rode under the thick canopy of trees. The forest was silent. Aragorn rode easily on a beautiful bay mare while Legolas sat astride Arod.

It was strange indeed, for he was not really leaving home. And at the same time, it would be so easy for him not to return. Whatever had taken down his warriors at Saronedhel's execution would not...could not find any match at such a small party of defenders...no matter how well armed or skilled. The ghost had taken down eighteen of his finest warriors...she was dangerous. Yet he wondered, why had the ghost let Saronedhel go? The prisoner had been wounded, a convicted woman, had even been at the point of death.

His people said the attacker had been Gwenél, that the ghostly maiden had struck once more. There was every indication that this was the case. The warriors had been infected with the same illness as those as the former victims of the ghost. Yet...did he really believe in such a legend? And why had she shown mercy to a murderer? Saronedhel's body had not been found among those of the warriors and her blood had been found among the foliage surrounding the clearing...leading south into the woods.

Strange hoofmarks had dug into the ground...but no one had had the chance to track them. It had rained...and even through the thick leafy tops, the rain had washed away all signs of the struggle. Their hunt was now like searching for a needle in a haystack It was chilly out, already late October. Hints of the coming winter were evident in the dropping temperature and the growing deadness of the trees. Legolas pulled his cloak tighter about his shoulders. He was dressed in a black tunic, his leggings a dark, hunter green. Woven into both articles of clothing were soft shades of leaves in silver.

His bow and arrow were strapped to his back and his twin knives were tucked in his cloth boots. Both of which came up almost to his knees. Aragorn, who rode just behind him as the foliage grew more thickly around the path. His friend's garb was a simple black and dark blue tunic and leggings. His sword, Andúril, was strapped to his saddle. The human's sharp eyes were searching the ground as they rode on and, before very long, they reached the clearing where the warriors had been found. It was getting dark, the days were already becoming shorter.

Legolas looked back at Aragorn, their eyes met and Aragorn tilted his head to the ground. "Dismount?" He asked, his voice low and his grey eyes sparkling. It had been so long since they had gone hunting together. It would have almost been like old times if not for the seriousness of the their situation. Legolas nodded and slid gracefully off the Arod's back. The grey horse bobbed his head and whinnied softly as the previous events which had taken place. The earth was still damp, a reminder of the recent rain, the branches of the trees and bushes hung low, heavily laiden with the dripping water.

A stream rushed along noisily nearby but, frustratingly, there were no signs that anything had taken place here. Legolas shook his head in irritation, glancing around the interior of the forest. "Nothing." He observed aloud. "We are too late."

Aragorn grunted in reply, squinting as he looked up into the gathering darkness. "Perhaps we should make camp for the night." He said. Legolas turned to look at him and Aragorn met his inquiring gaze. "I know that I will not find much at night, my eyes are not sharp enough and I'm getting older in years." He smiled wryly. "But I think it will be difficult for even you to discover anything, the darkness seems to be even darker of late. I sense a foulness here that I do not like."

"I agree with Lord Aragorn my Price." Said one of the guards behind them. Legolas glanced back at the elf, who, still mounted, was looking up into the leafy canopy in growing discomfort.

Legolas nodded in agreement. "Then we shall make camp. We'll start again with the sun's rising."

"Either way." Aragorn continued. "We're giving her what she wants."

"What is that?" Legolas asked in surprise.

Aragorn grinned. "We're fresh meat."

* * *

With the horses tethered and camp pitched, Aragorn set about to making a fire and two of the guards had gone hunting while the others took care of the horses and gathered brush for firewood. Legolas stood on the edge of the clearing, looking southernly into the depths of the forest. It was all too eery...no tracks, no blood. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened here. Like nothing would ever happen. How could Saronedhel have escaped? She had been wounded, he had seen so himself. He had watched her struggle to move, to sometimes, even just to speak. How could a mere mortal have survived an encounter with so deadly a foe if every single one of his warriors had fallen?

None of the puzzle fit together. He turned as he caught the aroma of venison drifting over to him as the fire burned brighter. He blinked in surprise, how long had he been standing there? He heard Aragorn's unusually soft tread approaching him with ease.

"Supper is cooking." He said. "You should come eat, we need to discuss our next plan of action."

Aragorn was at his side now, the grey eyes mirroring his own. "Isn't it strange that we have found nothing?" Legolas mused aloud. "Isn't it strange that we can find nothing of our quarry?"

Aragorn's brow knitted, his eyes drifting toward the forest as if deep in thought. "The darkness may have concealed clues we might have otherwise discovered. We will discover more with the new dawn." The shadow from the fire danced upon his face, the flames flickering in his eyes.

His friend's reasoning sounded valid, even though Legolas was developing a sinking feeling that he would not find any of the answers he was hoping to seek in this place. "Sounds good." He answered. "Our choices have dwindled, and this mystery is starting to feel like it is not suppose to have an end."

Aragorn nodded, met his gaze once more and tilted his head towards the fire. "Come eat." He said, a soft smile appearing on his face. "The venison is ready."

* * *

_Five Years Previous_

* * *

"Is this what you were telling me about my friend?" An old weary voice entered into my thoughts as I started to wake. Oh God please don't let me wake up. Please... But it was too late. The pain came in tidal waves, blacking out my consciousness and dimming my mind. I wanted to scream, but I was choking on something...was it...blood...? I groaned and I laid still, unable to open my eyes.

"Shh..." I head the voice again. "Shh..." There was a hand on my forehead, an old gnarled hand. I heard hooves sinking into the dirt by my head, I heard a horse snort.

"Talorta?" I whispered, forcing my eyes open and looking up into the dull light. It was still raining, and I blinked as the water fell into my eyes. There was something hot...running down my face...mixing with the rain in my eyes. My vision swam as the figure hunched over me, brushing my wet locks away from my face. He...or what sounded like a he...was clothed in a dark cloak, the hood of which concealed his features.

"Is that your friend?" He asked. But I could not answer. "You seem to be in a bad way." He said gently, his hands probing my various wounds. The light entered my eyes again as he came to my side. A blast of pain filled my mind and I called out in agony, choking on the hot liquid inside of me. I couldn't breathe, the pain was too great as he started to speak frantically.

"Where do you come from? What is your name?"

But it was too late...I was already gone.

* * *

If you haven't figured it out, all the flashbacks are from right after Victoria rides away from the village after the warriors find her standing above Caden's body. The mystery is starting to unfold, but don't get comfortable...get ready for a ride. :)

I'm not insulted about anyone who loses interest in this story...don't worry...I was for a little while too. :) But miraculously, I have gained inspiration and writing this story has become so much easier...now I'm just transferring all my writing onto my computer. So, never fear! I will never hate any of you if you don't like this story anymore, but I do have every intention of finishing it. :)

Thanks to all who reviewed and most especially to Kiann for betating. :)

TO BE CONTINUED...


	33. Darkness :: Part Two

Disclaimer: Same as always, I own very little.

Chapter Quote: **"This last part was written in blood." He said. "The smell lingers still- it is fresh."**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three

Darkness

* * *

The venison was good, and the fire was warm. The five guards ate silently, sometimes speaking quietly among themselves in Sindarin. They were all rather young yet, and Legolas thought perhaps speaking in a more familiar tongue eased them. He didn't really know and didn't consider it his business to ask. He and Aragorn were sitting a ways from the fire. He sat astride a log, polishing his twin, ivory-handled knives. Aragorn was stretched out on the rich earth, facing Legolas by leaning on his side. 

It was silent...uncharacteristic of Mirkwood. They had not yet reached the spiders' territory, but normally you could hear elven voices, their songs drifting through the eaves of the ancient trees. But not they were too far from the palace to hear many voices as one would normally. No, not this night. Not even the wind could be heard rustling through the trees nor did any creature make a sound. It was eery...silent and eery. Legolas shook his head, the gold locks glimmering gently in the light, his grey eyes flashing.

They would sleep in the open air, it did not look like it would rain- not this night anyway. He had, had his fill of venison after a mouthful or two, but Aragorn was still picking absentmindedly at the bones leftover from his own meal. While studying his friend, Legolas began to notice that the latter's hair was starting to turn slightly...grey? Was it possible?

Aragorn caught Legolas' piercing gaze, and with a smile, ran a hand subconsciously over his beard. "Do I look so old to your eyes?" He asked in jest, Legolas smiled in reply.

"Never." It would not due to think as his friend as an old man. Aragorn would always be the cocky young man he had met in Rivendell so many years ago. "How does Arwen fare? I had not the chance to ask when I last saw her." He added, as if the thought had only just surfaced to his mind.

Aragorn grinned proudly. "Four months and counting." He replied.

Legolas smiled, opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly heard the sharp snap of a twig from somewhere in the darkness behind him. Both men jumped up, startled. The elven warriors stopped their merry-making. All falling silent. Out of the corner of his eye, Legolas saw Aragorn slide his hand down to the hilt of his sword. Legolas' fingers were already brushing the smooth wood of his bow. He stepped forward and he could hear Aragorn's mouth opening to halt him, but he would do no such thing.

He rushed forward, his eyes concentrating on the shadowy shapes of the brush ahead. He drew out his bow and fitted an arrow in one fluid movement, done thousands of times over hundreds of years. He was standing in front of the brush, and he drew back the branches, the arrow trained...but there was nobody there. No sign that anyone had ever been there at all. He lowered his bow in puzzlement, casting his gaze surrounding the surrounding forest, peering into its depths before he drew back. "Nothing." He said. "There's nobody here."

He heard a faint humming approaching him with rapid speed, he turned, saw a blur moving towards him, whistling through the air. He jerked back, flinching as the blur hit the tree behind him with a thump. An arrow...it still twitched with the force of the blow. Aragorn did not answer his friend, was staring instead at the arrow which had missed Legolas' head by only a hair's breath.

"You all right?" He asked slowly, almost in disbelief.

Legolas stared at the arrow, his eyes boring into the roughly hewn shaft. "Fine." He said. "I'm fine."

"Milord?" One of the guards called, Legolas turned to him and found the elf staring at the arrow and pointing. Legolas drew closer to it. It was a black arrow...finely crafted he noted as he got a better look at it. Its trimmings were etched in glowing silver. And attached to the arrow, was a piece of parchment. He neared the tree, slinging his bow over his shoulders. He removed the arrow, tore the parchment from it and studied it. The parchment was old and worn, as it it had been used before. There were faded black letters upon it in, written in no particular order. But in a fresher hand was a note, printed clearly in Tenqwar.

_Foolish Prince, _

_This maybe your forest - but you do not belong. There are many enemies approaching your camp from the south. They carry flags of old, and the stench of their black magic precedes their footprints. They came here before - long ago. And slaughtered many of your people. They will not spare mercy towards you. _

_This is not your forest-_

Here the writing faltered, as if the author's hand had become suddenly weak. Then it continued, only the letters was written less clearly and the ink was a dark red.

_Leave before it is too late. I have warned you and I will not be able to save you. Go from here. Leave. _

Here the writing stopped. Legolas peered closely at the shaky writing, pondering over the message. "What is it Legolas?" Asked Aragorn from behind him. Legolas handed him the letter and he waited for his friend to read its contents. Aragorn frowned, brought the letter to his face and sniffed.

"This last part was written in blood." He said. "The smell lingers still- it is fresh."

"It is telling us to leave." Legolas said quietly, brooding the letter aloud.

"But it is not a threat milord." Said one of the guards, who could read the letter from where he stood six paces away. "It think it is a warning."

Aragorn and the others glanced searchingly into the forest, but its awning and decaying trees revealed nothing. And the company was plunged once more into silence.

"Perhaps we should retire for the time being." Legolas said softly, still staring into the depths of the forest. He adjusted his bow, sliding the arrow both his own and the black arrow into the quiver.

"Milord- what shall be our next plan of action then?" Asked one of the guards, his dark eyes glinting nervously in the shadows.

"We shall continued as planned." Replied Legolas, turning to address them all. "I'll take first watch, I'll wake one of you in a few hours." He knew none of them would mind. Elves need very little sleep. It would be Aragorn, though, who would insist to have the next watch. Legolas knew this as he nodded towards his friend.

None of them argued as they stretched out their bedrolls by the fire. Maybe he too would be weary in a few hours, but he was too shaken at present. Someone didn't like them being here. Someone wanted to stop their search. No one spoke as Legolas took a rigid stance at the edge of the camp.

And no one was awake very long after that. But Legolas stayed up long after, and did not wake his friend until long after the fire had burnt down to smoldering ashes.

* * *

_Five Years Previous_

* * *

_I was waking up and I didn't want to. My olfactory nerves were suddenly bombarded with the sharp smells of various herbs. For one sweet moment I thought I was back at the flet with Mirlaic...but then the pain came. I didn't want to wake- who are you?_

_The old man hovering above me was not Mirlaic. Mirlaic was dead. They were all dead. Why wasn't I dead too? Let me die. _

_I'm taking care of you, he said. You don't have to be afraid. But I wasn't afraid, I was angry. I wanted vengeance, I wanted death, I wanted... No. He said firmly. You will find healing here. He pointed upward, urging me to follow the direction of his hand with my eyes. I stared at the glittering ceiling above me. Star Trees, there was only Star Trees. Glittering beautifully like they used to do in Gilloth. I could almost hear Mirlaic's gentle voice whispering to me of them, but no. I didn't want to think of Mirlaic either. Ugh, why did I hurt so much? Why was the pain so strong? Everywhere...tearing me to pieces...Dead. I said. They're all dead. _

_But the old man wasn't listening to me. He was humming, and I was soon lost in the glittering eves of the Star Trees. My eyes swaying back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, to the sound of his voice. _

_I didn't care anymore- back and forth- and soon sleep came. _

_- Back and forth -_

* * *

Nothing out of the ordinary happened on Legolas' watch. And by dawn, Legolas awoke with the disgruntled feeling of new problems arising as their journey in the darkness continued. He arose with the sun, as did the others, and immediately set off north in search of the stream they had crossed before their arrival at the clearing. 

He felt dirty, not having bathed or cleansed his face in a number of days. _Maybe the cool water will clear my head._ He thought wistfully. The waters in the woods of Mirkwood were indeed enchanted, spells having been cast upon them since before even the youngest days of his father. However, the enchantment did not generally affect any of the fair folk and he was confident, if not careless, in his trust of the dark waters which ran through the forest like blood. He knelt by the stream, twenty or more feet away from their camp and splashed water on his face.

They would have to leave within the hour. They would head Southeast, hoping to find some trace of Saronedhel or the ghostly maiden: Gwenél. Balamrún had said he had encountered the maiden in the north. But thus far, every indication said that Saronedhel had traveled South. So South...or Southeast...it was. He did not care much for the message left by the mysterious intruder the night before. And if enemies had indeed entered the forest unbeknownst to himself or to his father. It was his duty to discover why and who they were. So they would travel Southeast, and then, provoke the ghost's legendary anger and push North into 'her' territory.

It was simple, practically planned. But he still feared the possibility of discovering nothing of those whom they sought. And at present, failure was his greatest fear. He rose, straightening himself and turning to return to camp. But he paused as something caught his eye...red, staining the green of the forest floor.

A few drops, staining the earth below. He knelt, peering closely at it. He touched the stain, brought his fingertips to his nose- blood. It was blood. He was sure of it. He looked up, spying more, almost mirroring the path he had taken to get to the stream only moments before- how could he have missed it? He walked carefully, not averting his gaze from the trail of blood. Here and there twigs had broken and leaves had been crushed where the perpetrator had stumbled-probably growing weaker- from loss of blood.

And then the trail had stopped at a thick cluster of brush. He stared intently at the ground, trying to interpret the markings. There was a lot of blood here, drops and splashes littered the ground as if the person had tried to unsuccessfully stem the bleeding. So the intruder had been wounded, and from the looks of things, had been in this very spot for a number of hours. Had left only recently in fact.

"Legolas...have you found anything?"

He looked up with a start, and found himself looking in surprise into the face of Aragorn. The camp had nearly been disbanded, the warriors were packing up the horses. This was where he had heard the noise the night before, this was where he had searched. Only the night before. He felt himself grow cold. It was impossible, but until shortly before, the intruder had sat at the edge of camp, perhaps for the who night, and hand only watched...and waited. How often had his eyes drifted to this very spot? How often had he strained his ears and heard nothing besides the fire and his own breathing? How could he have not seen or heard _anything?_ No, it was impossible! And yet here was the evidence, here were the signs.

"I believe we have made one thing very clear." Aragorn said softly as he knelt to examine the tracks. He looked up at Legolas, "Someone knows we're here."

The scowl now formed on the prince's face as he glanced back at the trail of blood. "Can you track that?" He asked Aragorn, pointing to the blood which splattered the dark earth. Aragorn followed Legolas' hands, he nodded, working his jaw as he thought.

"I can." He said simply, rising as he did so.

"Good." Replied Legolas. He gestured to the guards and then to the horses. "We're moving out."

* * *

They walked the horses, unwilling to miss any signs. Aragorn walked on foot, his horse trailing behind him. The trail of blood ran past the stream where Legolas had first discovered it. The blood was beginning to dry and sometimes only Aragorn's eyes - skilled in the ways of tracking - found where their prey had gone. They way was long and they remained silent. 

All felt the strange presence in the forest, the strange sense of foreboding silence. It was difficult to ignore. The trees felt...compressed. As if every creature in the forest was either holding its breath or panting. Sometimes, Legolas thought he could hear faint whisperings in the trees.

They walked on for hours and hours- well into midday and then on into the night. Until it became too dark and Aragorn halted them for fear of missing some hidden mark. They slept under the trees that night and did not dare to risk a fire. Legolas again took the first watch, but did not bother to wake his companions when his time was up. He fingered the medallion which he kept ever around his neck and under his tunic. He had a strange feeling that he would be spending many sleepless nights in the forest as long as their search continued.

* * *

They traveled at the same pace as the previous day. They did not speak, and the only sound heard among them was the dull plodding of the horses' hooves and Aragorn's occasional rustling of a bush or tree branch. How long would they search these woods? Months? Years? Aragorn could not wander the forests of Mirkwood forever. He had a wife and child to return to. Already the time was drawing near when Aragorn would have to return to Gondor. 

But Legolas, what did he have to return to? He had no lover, no family other then his father. He had Ithilien. He had Aragorn, Arwen, and the twin sons of Elrond. Would he search forever for the answers to his endless questions? He searched deep in his mind for the reasons of their quest once again- they were becoming increasingly blurred in his mind.

Saronedhel had escaped and Gwenèl had attacked again with a greater force then she had ever had before. He wondered how the warriors fared now. How many days had it been since their departure? Four? Maybe five? Had any more of his people been attacked? Would they die in his absence? Would they die because of his failure to track down and stop the ghost? His anxieties were beginning to fog his mind. The endless questions seeking answers he had not the power nor strength to find. He was aware suddenly that he was tired, very tired.

He closed his eyes for a moment, felt the horse slowing beneath him. He was at the end of the line, the guards were all following behind Aragorn closely, he could hear them speaking in low tones to the human just up ahead. A sudden, sweet, whispering melody made him pause to listen. He didn't know where it was coming from and he did not care, did not want to care. The horse stopped and the melody drifted like mist into his mind.

_Have you walked into the forest?_

_Have you smelt the evening breeze?_

_Will you wade into water?_

_Walk beneath the awning trees?_

"Milord?" The guard tapped his arm and made the melody soften. _No- come back. _He thought urgently. Legolas looked at the guard in frustration. "Are you well milord?"

"Do you not hear it?" Legolas asked, voice sharp with an irritated edge.

"Hear what milord?" The guard asked in confusion, reining his horse in beside his own. The trees had started to sway, the wind picking up. The others had stopped and the melody was coming backina distinctly feminine voice. High, clear, resonating, and haunting. She was sad, in despair. Her words aching and sorrowful. They were all looking around now, and he knew then that they could hear it too.

_When we whisper you shall listen,_

_And a warning you must hear. _

_With your footsteps there lies danger,_

_You must leave...it draws near. _

They gazed around in wonder and for a moment, Legolas thought he could see a maiden walking through the trees. She was radiant and soft, her face hidden by locks of long dark hair. Her figure was glowing, she was clothed all in white. One hand was outstretched, as if searching- but then she was gone...she had disappeared.

Aragorn called out sharply to him, "Legolas! The trail- it is gone!"

Legolas' grey eyes snapped ahead, focusing on Aragorn, his gaze spinning. He felt light-headed, the weariness closing in on him rapidly. The human was searching the brush frantically, seemingly unaffected by the maiden.

Legolas never had time to look for the owner of the voice, or even to reply to Aragorn's alarming revaluation. He heard a cry from the guard at his side, and he heard the horses screaming in fright. Something hit his side with a dull thud and a blast of pain - searing through him and then hitting again in his shoulder. He slid from Arod's back, groping for something to hold onto but finding nothing. Light erupted in his eyes as he hit the ground. He looked up, and he wondered how in all of Middle-earth the attackers had struck so swiftly. A face appeared above him, grinning maliciously and licking its lips. _An orc...how was that possible?_

"We've been looking for you." It snarled, and a booted metal foot kicked him in the side. The light erupted again and he cried out. "We've been looking for you for a _very _long time."

He couldn't fight back as the pain begin to steal away his consciousness. He realized again as he slipped into darkness that this was the second time he had been ambushed in such a manner-the first time with Faerlain.

And again, men would die because of him.

* * *

**A/N:** I have had a series of reviews for the last chapter, which I am very happy about, and have gained some new readers! Welcome all! You have no idea what kind of inspiration I get when I find out people actually READ my work. :) I have finals coming up, so updates will be spread out and rather random for the next two weeks. Just felt I should warn you. I will reply to any an all questions asked about SIMA, thanks to the lovely gadget the FF team added to the site. So, I love reviews will something a little more meaty then, 'great! Update soon!' So, don't be afraid to speak:) 

Happy belated Thanksgiving all! And a Happy Advent to all my fellow Catholics out there. Thanks a million to my beta, Kiann, and I'll try and get the next chapter up soon:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	34. Orcs :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I don't care about nothing and nobody. :)

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four

Orcs

* * *

He awoke to voices- angry snarling voices. And at once he thought perhaps it would have been better if he had not woken up at all. For with the return of his consciousness, came the return of pain. He fought back a groan for he did not want his captors to know he was awake. He opened his eyes blearily, blinking as unwanted light entered them. He was tied to a tree, well, actually his hands were bound and stretched up above his head, tied securely to a branch. There were two broken arrow shafts protruding from his side, one from his shoulder and the other from just under his ribs. His clothing, torn and bleeding, clung damply to his skin. _Had it rained?_

He gazed about, they were still in the forest. In what direction they had taken him, however, he couldn't be sure. He let his head fall back against the tree. Orcs, orcs in _his_ country. How had they gotten across the border? How could they have ambushed them like this? How could they have followed them so silently?

Aragorn was probably dead, would he die out here too? Alone? In the dark? _Death_...he'd never really thought on it before. Mainly because it had never been an option. Now his life lay before him like an open book and he realized that he didn't want to close it, he didn't want it to end. He wanted to live, he was afraid of death. And yet he could not escape it. _He was on his knees, his body aching. _

Someone tugged on the rope which bound his arms and he could not prevent himself from calling out in pain. The yelling stopped as numerous yellow eyes turned to him.

"Look who's awake." One of them said, stepping forward from the ranks of the others. There were so many of them- thirty at least. All Moria Orcs, he could tell their type anywhere. The one who had stepped forward had some sort of dirtied red sash around his waist which Legolas attributed to some mark of leadership. His words were heavily accented and in his feverish mind he had some troubling interpreting the beast's words.

He stared up silently, trying to conjure up some words or feelings of anger or retaliation. Look what they had done to his friends, look what they had done to _him_. But he had nothing left, nothing to make him want to fight back. He had nothing left.

"You put us through a lot of trouble, son of Thranduil."

They knew who he was, and they had been looking explicitly for him. They wanted him, and he didn't understand. He didn't understand at all. The orc released him roughly, smashing his head back against the tree. Stars appeared before his eyes as the leader snarled to his fellows in his own language. Thirty pairs of yellow eyes turned upon him, and he knew whatever they had in store for him would not be pleasant.

* * *

It started off with a beating. They forced him to stand, elbowing the arrows still embedded in his side until he grunted and groaned in agony. But he could not fight back, and he knew they wanted him to. They hooted in anger, hitting him with more intensity. Eventually the shafts broke, but the arrows remained embedded in his flesh. Everything was becoming so dim- the pain meshing into one, clouding his thoughts.

_A living hell._

He couldn't breathe or move as they circled his prone body, snarling and lunging, thrusting their booted feet in his stomach and sides: but he wouldn't fight back. He was too weak now, the fever had come, was tearing inside him like fire. He was kicked onto his back and found himself looking into the face of the orc leader. The orc was livid, his yellow eyes raging as they bore down into his own. "Too good to scream _princey_? Too cowardly to fight back? Fight elfling- why don't you fight?"

Legolas only stared at his captor, his body screaming from the beating but his lips clamped rigidly shut. He would not answer back, would not do anything. He wondered for the millionth time as the fate of Aragorn- if the orcs had killed him too. He wondered if they would go after the palace, wondered who they were working for. Wondered if they would keep him alive for ransom, wondered if they would kill hin. He thought of his father, would he ever learn of his son's death? Would his people think he had abandoned them? What of Arwen? Would her child be born fatherless? It was wrong, it was all wrong.

He was suppose to stop the ghost, find Saronedhel, and then go home. It wasn't right at all. And now his greatest friend was dead, all because of him. No- or had it been that song? Had it been the ghostly maiden wandering through the trees just before the orcs had attacked them. Yes, the ghost, the maiden had been signing the song. It was her fault. Yes, that was it.

The maiden- the ghost had killed Aragorn, had crushed the hopes of peace for his country, for his people. He swore then, that somehow, he would kill the maiden for what she had done. _She_ would die.

The orc must have seen the anguish in his eyes, because something suddenly clicked in those yellow eyes, and he grinned. "Your friends put up a bit of a struggle before they were shot down- but the human, he was different. He fell on his knees and begged- begged for mercy...like a dog."

Legolas' eyes flashed in anger as the orc released his grip and Legolas fell back to the forest floor.

"He didn't last long. But we made it right slow for him." The orc paused and grinned again. "'e Swore before we stuck him that he had nothing to do with you. Humans. Pathetic creatures aren't th-"

The orc never had time to finish. Enraged, Legolas scrambled to his feet and lunged himself at the creature in fury. The orc, startled by the attack, fell beneath Legolas' onslaught to the floor. Legolas tore at that malicious face, screaming in anger and punching the orc until he groaned. But the others did not take long to catch on. He saw one approaching him out of the corner of his eye, but he was too slow. The orc raised a club and brought it high over its head before he flung it down and it smashed into Legolas' unprotected leg.

He couldn't react, he froze, he could hear the sharp snapping of the bones. He could feel the pain bolting through his leg and tearing his mind in two, but he couldn't breathe. He wasn't aware of how quickly he had hit the floor- nor how the orc had jumped up so quickly. He couldn't think, but he knew the punishment for his actions would be harsh and swift.

But the funny thing was, none of them ever hit him. It was getting dark... was it night already? It couldn't be. But suddenly there was a bright light, and all of the orc-swine froze. "The Lady of the Forest." The orc leader said, in a tone of voice which might have been interpreted as a sort of awe.

He tried to look up...but the knives, the daggers being thrust into him, the pain... it made him very dizzy. But he saw eyes, not yellow like the others. Blue eyes, crystal blue eyes, beacons shining out from a startlingly white face. They was glowing, the face was glowing, casting shadows on the others. Those eyes, he had seen them before...somewhere, long ago. Had it been a dream? They were angry, so _very angry_. The orc tried to speak again, but the face screamed. An ear-splitting horrible wrenching sound, and they all squealed in pain, trying frantically to cover their ears. But Legolas couldn't, he stared, mesmerized by those eyes as his consciousness began to fade.

"TRAITORS! MURDERS! BLOOD THIRSTY SAVAGES! DIE!" The face screamed, he could not tell whether it was male or female. "MEET THE FATE OF THOSE WHOM YOU SLAYED!"

And there was suddenly blue everywhere, a mist. Just before his world went dark, the eyes turned to him and met his, but the anger did not leave. They just stared.

Waiting.

* * *

Short chapter, sorry. I couldn't help it. Yes, the usual Legolas torture scene, had to have it and I was trying to get through it as quickly as possible. I apologize for lack of my good writing form, it couldn't be helped. Maybe it could of, but I don't have the time to fix it. The next couple of chapters I'm feeling looking forward to writing so-stay tuned!

If you see any errors, please tell me in your reviews! And Lastly, any questions you have I can answer as long as you are a member of So, all you anonymous reviewers, I encourage you to sign up! It is well worth it. :) Thanks to all who reviewed and to my beta, Kiann, for being the best at her job. And till next time...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	35. The Face of Death :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I can only hope I bring some small meaningless tribute to Tolkien by my humble attempts to honor his works by my own. (Meaning: I ain't doing this for my own benefit. This is a disclaimer.)

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five 

The Face of Death

* * *

How is it that once you have become injured in some way- you always know that it is going to hurt once you wake up? Legolas wasn't sure, but, as he slowly opened his eyes he knew, as he always did, that he was injured. But the pain had dulled slightly for some reason. And so, as he opened his eyes, he looked around in wonder at the place he was in. 

There were trees everywhere. Trees with blue flowers, silver leaves, and pale, white trunks. It was morning...or at least he thought it was morning. It wasn't dark out anyway- but all this thinking was making his head ache considerably more then it had before. It was too difficult to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together right now, even though he knew he should.

He was laid out beneath one of the trees, on a flat stone. He blinked once more, this wasn't making any sense at all...what had happened to the orcs? _The eyes_...he jumped slightly in alarm as he recalled the intense anger in those eyes. And as he did so, he let out a surprised cry of pain as he jostled his wounded side. He glanced sideways at it, lifting his head off the cold stone to look down upon himself. His shirt was gone, and he was bleeding. The arrowheads- they had never been removed. Where was he? His head sunk back to the table and he felt another sudden rush of pain as cold hands suddenly prodded his flesh.

He shouted for them to stop it, to relieve him of the pain they caused. But they would not stop.

"Damnit." He heard a sharp voice mutter. "You weren't suppose to wake up yet." Said the voice from somewhere beside him. His eyes watered as the pain intensified...

..._they disappeared._

* * *

When he awoke again, there were thick bandages about his side and shoulder. He couldn't really decide if that was good or not. It was rather difficult to breathe. He squirmed uncomfortably, his side aching. 

"Lie still." The sharp voice commanded. But wait- he knew that voice, he had heard it before. No- then it had not all been a dream. He opened his eyes blearily and gazed about in wonder. The blue flowers that hung gently above him were glittering now, their silver petals glistening, sparkling stars. Yes, that was it. They looked like stars...but wasn't that impossible? He had never heard of such a tree. _Gah_, it hurt to think of such things. He groaned, blinked, and heard the voice again. "Lie still." It persisted, irritation evident in the words. "You will only make it worse for yourself."

_Roots_. He was lying on tangle, a bed of roots. Oh, but it was so _comfortable. _He closed his eyes, suddenly tired, and felt a cool hand upon his brow.

"Yes, feverish still. I thought as much. Damn elves... heal quickly my arse." The voice muttered. The cool hands were at his bandages now, prying at the wounds. He flinched.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked hoarsely, or at least, that was what he tried to say. The words came out all jumbled. "W ng hae ee beseep?" Was something that sounded closer to his mutterings.

"You sound dead." The voice replied harshly, then paused. "Wait a moment."

Then there was water at his lips. Blessedly cold, fresh water. He gulped it down thirstily. _That was much better_. "How long have I been asleep?" He repeated, weakly this time.

"Nearly a week- if you want to call it sleep." Said the voice gruffly, as if resenting speaking with him. "You were very ill. I wondered sometimes if you would survive at all."

So he wasn't dead. The news came with mixed emotions, he wasn't sure if he should be happy or regretful that he had not died. Was such confusion unusual? He had thought himself dead until what seemed like a short while ago. He remembered the orcs, the snarls, and the eyes. The pale, white face with the angry blue eyes. Yes, he thought of these most of all. It was so hard to concentrate now, so difficult to stay awake... "Where am I?" He asked softly.

The voice hesitated, "Nowhere." It snapped harshly. "You should sleep...you are still very weak." The voice added almost as an afterthought in a much gentler tone.

Normally, he would have argued. Yet normally, he was not in such a state. He blinked open his eyes once more, and fell asleep gazing at the glittering stars above him.

* * *

_Come back to me,_

_O haunted time,_

_Sing sweet words to me,_

_O heart of thine_.

_You have passed, _

_You have deserted me,_

_You have not gone from my memory. _

_Return to me..._

_Return to me. _

_You once laughed, you once cried,_

_You once spoke, you once died._

_You have left me now, all alone._

_And still I cry...and still I cry._

Legolas awoke again, still in the bed of roots, to the sound of a haunting memory. It was a song actually, a clear, haunting voice echoing in the morning breeze. He could almost see the ghostly figures, the half-forgotten memories dancing sadly to the tune. Half-coherent faces that vanished in the grey dawn. But was it morning? He blinked, and realized with grim pleasure that his side was not aching so much as it had last. But the song...the song's haunting melody followed his thoughts. He gazed around, trying to find the cause of it. He saw a girl, standing not very far from where he lay. One of the blue flowers was in her hands.

She was staring at it, humming now. Long dark hair fell in waves and curls about her face. Her slender body was leaning against one of the silver-barked trees. Her delicate hands caressed the flower as a mother caresses the cheek of her new-born babe. But the flower did not glitter as he had seen it do before. It must be morning.

_Don't leave me here,_

_Don't make me cry,_

_I can't live alone,_

_For you, I'd die. _

_Your memory,_

_Lies deep in my heart. _

_Without you,_

_I am lost in the dark. _

_Come back to me..._

_Don't leave me..._

_Return to me._

He didn't know why, but suddenly he felt sad...horribly sad. As if he had just lost something precious to him, something he could never take back. He shifted uncomfortably, and in doing so, unwisely jolted his side. He hissed in pain through clenched teeth and the melody shattered in silence. The flower disappeared within the folders of the girl's dark cloak. She was dressed in black. A deep midnight black. It contrasted sharply with the paleness of her skin. And suddenly, her face turned to him.

He recognized the blue eyes instantly from that day with the orcs. They were just as angry. She walked over to him, her face set in stone. "You are awake." She stood rigidly before him for a moment, and he didn't answer her. Her tone was flat, she had been stating a fact, not asking a question. He was startled out the recollection of her haunting song by her face. He knew that face, and the sight of it made his weak body burn with anger. She knelt before him, blue eyes blazing, daring him to speak.

"I know you." He said slowly, his tongue thick in his mouth.

She smirked, her sharp cheekbones angling her face. "Do you really dear prince?" she asked softly.

"You- you are _Saronedhel_!" He said, shaking with anger. He wanted in that instant to kill her. He wanted to take her scrawny neck in his hands and snap it like a twig, to see the fire in her eyes extinguished and the smirk on her lips erased from his memory. But even as he burned with hatred, he found himself unable to move.

She smirked again, laughing silently through her eyes at his rage. "Indeed." She said. "And you can do nothing about it."

"_Murderer!_" He hissed. "_Elf-slayer! Traitor_!"

She didn't flinch, nor did her eyes loose their vehemence. "Might I remind you, son of Thranduil, that it is _I_ who has thus far saved your life. But at any time I might also chose to _take _it."

"Why not then? Why not kill me?" He replied hotly.

She didn't answer at first, she just stared at him. Then, very slowly she answered. "Because I decided to save you. And I have." She stood in one, quick, fluid movement. Her black garments swirling behind her as she took out the blue flower once more and examined it closely. "You were poisoned." She said, trailing her fingers along the length of the petals. "And you received a rather brutal beating." She glanced back at him. "For an immortal, that was a rather close shave with mortality. A rather close shave indeed."

She looked at the flower, plucked off a few petals, and placed them gently in a bowl which had rested within a nook of a nearby tree. She ground the petal in silence with a small stone for a few minutes before she approached him again. She knelt, her eyes on the blue powder now inside the bowl, she reached out for his bandages but he shot out his good arm and, hissing in pain, clutched her arm.

"Don't you touch me." He growled.

"I am not. You are touching _me." _She brought the bowl to her face, staring intently at him with her angry blue eyes. She blew hard into the bowl and a blue mist blocked out her face, the trees...and everything.

"And I can and will touch you with or without your consent. Are we clear?"

He wanted to answer, he really did. But suddenly everything was black.

Damn.

* * *

_She was dying again, just as she had so many years before. Legolas didn't want her to die, wished silently that he could breathe life into her fading body. Knew that if he could prevent her death then everything would change. "Nana." (Mother) He whimpered. "Nana." But she wouldn't listen._

_And then there was a black shadow stealing her away. He screamed for her but she wouldn't listen. A burst of pain blotted his mind. "Wake up..." Called a dreamy voice. What?_

"WAKE UP!"

The pain was so sudden that he gasped and found himself staring into the icy blue eyes of his captor. "Do you want to draw every spider and orc to this place with your screams?" She hissed angrily. Now she was standing behind him, thrusting something hard into his mouth. Wood?

It seemed very dark, no stars shone through the gaps in the leafy canopies overhead. It was so dark, and hot. He was sweating, gasping for air. He lifted up his head to follow her as she abruptly left his head. She was by his leg now, her slender hands pressing on his imflamed flesh. Pain erupted inside his head and he cried out through the gag, groaning in agony. His leg, there was something the matter with his leg. He laid his head back down, breathing hard.

"I set it before, but you jostled it out of place." She said, muttering curses under her breath. He bit harder into the wood inside his mouth, his teeth ripping at the bark. He couldn't breathe. She reached for his leg again, then hesitated.

"The leg is infected...it will be particularly painful to set." She met his eyes, ignoring the gag she had positioned in his mouth. "Do you wish me to tie you down?"

_Unconsciousness would be so much easier... _He thought wistfully.

"You have too much of the sleeping powder in you already. More will only make you ill." She said, as if reading his thoughts.

Why was she giving him a choice? Was it some attempt to save himself from embarrassment? Why would she care? _Make it quick. _He wanted to say, _I'll be fine. _Why she would care if he'd be fine or not was not coming to his mind. It was like it was part of the reason she had asked. Strange. He was unable to speak, but he felt she must have understood.

"Very well then." She held his gaze and his fingers began to clench at his sides. "You've been sleeping with your eyes closed." She said. "Did you know that?"

He didn't have the time to even think of a reply- the pain came in a huge wave and he groaned and gnawed at the gag in agony. _Please make it stop- let me fall into darkness, let it be over. _

And then it was.

* * *

He was floating, that sweet sensation before returning to reality. He was alone. There was no sharp voice jeering as he awoke, no hands prodding his flesh and sending waves of pain through his consciousness There were only aches. Everything ached. He opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he felt very clean, and that the stench from the orcs had been cleansed from his body. He was wearing fresh leggings. He wore a light tunic, but could hardly feel it resting lightly against his chest. His bandages were fresh. 

He sat there for a long time unaware of time and wondering why he felt so comfortable. It took him a long while to recollect the events of the last time he had been awake. Had it been hours? Days? Weeks? He didn't know. And then it happened. Everything that had occurred, the pain, Saronedhel, _Saronedhel..._ His hands clenched at his sides- sending bolts of pain up his injured arm. The result only angered him further. Saronedhel was alive, had been living in Mirkwood all this time. She was holding him captive. _Murderer, betrayer, traitor._

"Awake then?" Came her cool voice drifting over to where he lay among the gentle curvatures of the roots. _Gilorn. _He realized suddenly that he could remember what the trees were now. He could remember telling Aragorn about them- but that seemed so long ago now. Were they the reason for the constant state of fogginess in his mind?

She was walking over to him, her black clothing whirling behind her like storm clouds. He wanted to recoil from her touch as she knelt before him to examine his bandages- but he found that he couldn't, or rather, that he didn't want to. What was wrong with him? Her hands were surprisingly gentle as they probed this wound and that. She didn't look at him. But he found himself staring, in wonder and disgust, remaining transfixed by the icy blueness of her eyes. She didn't speak again for a long time.

His side and shoulder only ached now, thought they were still painful to move. It was his leg, however, that was currently the cause of the majority of his discomfort. He was sitting relatively upright, upheld by the tree.

"You hungry?" She asked suddenly, ceasing her movements long enough to finally look into his face. Her dark hair had been pulled back into a long plait. Her face was sharp, her mouth forming a firm, straight line. He remembered the first time he had seen her, when she had been laying on the cot in the dungeons. Her mask only just discarded. She had been flushed with fever then, her face covered in grime, bruised in some places. But even then she had looked pale. Looking into her face, he was once again startled by the whiteness of it. It wasn't just pale, it was as if she has never stepped out into the sunlight. Even now as she knelt before him, she causally avoided the rare beams of light that warmed the forest floor.

"You hungry?" She repeated, this time slightly impatient. He blinked, comprehending what she had said and answering slowly,

"Not really." He didn't want hospitality from her, in fact, he didn't want anything to do with her.

She smirked, "You're hungry." She concluded. She stood, picked up a tray which had been resting a few feet away from her. The was a wooden mug, with some hot, steamy liquid inside. And a loaf of dark brown bread, and a bowl of what looked like some sort of stew. She knelt before him again, setting the tray down at her side and then taking the stew into her hands. She lifted a spoon, filling it with stew and held it carefully in her hand, letting it hover there for a moment.

Legolas' pride began to flare, she didn't seriously mean to... "No." He said angrily. "_I'm not hungry_."

She frowned at him, holding the spoon steady. "I'm not going to let you starve. And if your wondering if I was going to poison you, I'm not. I have highly more efficient ways of killing you if I thus desire."

Poison...it hadn't even occurred to him. All that mattered was that he was _not _going to let her spoon feed him like an elfling. It was out of the question.

"Besides," She continued, "You are still weak. You will not be able to do it yet on your own."

He glared at her silently, and, when she got no reply, she shrugged and dumped some of the stew back into the bowl, leaving the spoon half filled. She took his hand and clenched his fingers around the spoon, and then gestured for him to take it.

She was right on one account, he couldn't starve to death. Now that he was alive and here with Saronedhel, it was almost like he had a duty to continue living. He couldn't die in peace knowing that she was still alive. He clenched his fingers around the spoon tighter as he felt her hands give away. His uninjured arm, the one that held the spoon, began to shake slightly. He bit his lip in concentration as he started to move his hand...why was this so difficult?

He glared at her, daring her to laugh, but she did not. She was not saying a word, merely munching contentedly on a piece of the bread. Her blue eyes met his grey, nodding for him to continue. He tried to bring the spoon slowly to his lips when he found suddenly that he had not the strength to do so. The hot stew dribbled down his fresh, white tunic. His eyes watered slightly as the stew burnt his skin and he let out a cry of frustration. His hand fell to his side in a fist, pounding the ground weakly as it landed. A spoon...he could not lift a spoon? _Damn them! Damn them all!_

But still she did not speak. She met his eyes, and with a single fleeting look, she told him that she did not find pleasure in his weakness. She averted her gaze, setting down the bread and scooting over to him. "Will you let me help you now?" She said, her voice gruff, yet hesitant, as if she was unsure to grant him such kindness.

"I'm an not an infant." He said hotly. "I can take care of myself."

"It is only for today." She persisted bitterly, her pale features set hard in concentration, as if she was trying very hard to become angry. Why should she care? He asked himself once again, Why did she bother about him at all? Why had she not let him die? He had insulted her, shouted at her, had fully supported her execution. With good reason, he reminded himself, she was a murderer, she had killed Faerlain- _the_ _medallion_! In alarm in glanced down as his chest and found in surprise that the silver chain still hung about his neck. This confused him further still. Why had she not taken it? She had shone him in the dungeons that it had meant something to her. Why had she let him have it?

She was a cold, brutal assassin. She had murdered an entire village! He could not make sense of it, none at all. He glanced at her, and she still determinedly avoided his probing gaze.

"Fine." He grunted." "But just for today."

The edges of her mouth twitched as she looked up, as if ready to break into a smirk. She nodded, her face remaining emotionless, then took the spoon from where it had fallen at his side and filled it with stew. She brought it slowly to his lips and he sipped it. The warmth filled him immediately, it was so good...

She helped him to eat in silence, and once he had finished, she picked up the tray and disappeared beneath the trees, leaving Legolas, satisfied, but utterly confused, alone under the star-tree.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I feel so loved when my inbox starts to get all clogged up with review alerts. I love you guys. Just to make one thing clear, yes, Saronedhel is Victoria. But I'm not telling anyone who Gwenel is, you'll all be in for a bit of a surprise for that one. My finals for this semester are next week, so wish me luck! And then I'll have ONE WHOLE MONTH OFF to work on my various fics. I'm so excited! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and leave me a funny review! It will help relieve my stress levels for next week. 

Thanks to my beta reader, and the next chapter will be up shortly!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	36. Training :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tolkien's works, nor would I ever pretend to.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six

Training

* * *

"You sleep with your eyes open now." She said as she came to him one morning a few days later. She usually came two times every day, once in the morning and once in the early afternoon. Sometimes more then that, but never less. He was able to eat on his own now, and he could feel life beginning to seep back into his weary limbs. She usually came and brought him breakfast. Then she would sit in silence and stare up at the star trees.

She always wore the same clothing, the same color. Black. He never noticed it before, but her hair was usually down, covering most of her face. He realized that he had never truly looked into her face, had always been drawn immediately to her captivating eyes. Eyes that shown and glared at him like fiery beacons. She didn't usually speak, sometimes she would mutter to herself. Sometimes she would speak to him, as she had done just before, with a smirk on her face.

She never smiled.

And he wondered, quite suddenly one day, why she had killed them. She was, of course, unlike any human had had ever met, but then again, she didn't act like a mass-murderer. She was really quite...ordinary, or as ordinary as one could be when they were like her. And he knew he hated her, could not kill the unquenchable feeling of hatred when he looked at her. And he knew that, when it was time, he would kill her. Sometimes she would draw her knees to her chest and hum something softly under her breath, but she wouldn't look him in the eye anymore. He didn't know what she looked like really. It was strange, but every time she had looked at him in the past, he had noticed only her eyes, haunting, fiery beacons in the darkness of the forest. Even the star-trees could not outshine them.

She spent most of her day somewhere out beneath the trees. But she also spent a good deal of her time with him. He slept most of the time, wearing down the poison and regaining lost strength. Sometimes she would put him to sleep with the blue powder crushed from the flowers. And then he would sleep, dreamlessly, for hours. And when he awoke, she would be gone.

Sometimes he would wake to that haunting voice drifting through the trees. Sometimes he would wake to silence. He was never cold, even in his weakened state, though it knew it had been rapidly approaching early winter when he had last left the palace in search of Gwenél. Yet here, under the star-trees, it was always the same.

She was silent now, as she usually was. She rose, moving away from him. Then she paused, as if debating whether or not to tell him something. She clenched her fists at her sides, her body growing tense. "I'm going." She said suddenly.

He looked up at her sharply, for this was the first time that she had spoken outright to him in days. She usually lest without a word, disappearing eerily beneath the leafy canopy. "You'll discover that you can probably move about now. Though I wouldn't recommend wandering...there are dangerous creatures about."

He didn't reply and she didn't say anything further. She disappeared beneath the trees as if she had never said anything at all. He sat there in silence for a few moments, pondering what she had said. Wander about? How could he wander about? Didn't she set his leg only a few short days ago? Or had it been days...he ground his teeth in irritation, living in such ignorance was driving him insane! He glanced at his injured leg. She had fashioned a sort of splint for it.

_Here goes nothing_. He clenched his teeth, and slowly drew his knee up to his chest. His eyes widened in surprise, yes, his leg still aches painfully, but not so much that he couldn't move it. Setting his face in concentration, he reached up with his good arm and grasped a branch from above him. Then, his muscles straining, he slowly slid his legs underneath his body, biting his lip as he began to put weight on the still tender injury. Bolts of pain began to drift upward and he looked up into the trees in agony as he forced himself to stand.

And he stood. Blinking, with beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, he wiped the sweat from his eyes and groaned as his legs shook beneath him. His knuckles were white from clutching the branch. He looked down, he was standing...this was it! He breathed heavily in relief, tasted blood where his teeth had tore into his lips. He refused to think on how pitiful his plight had now become, a struggle just to stand and a victory to feed himself on his own.

This was progress, however small, to his leaving this place and recapturing Saronedhel. He glanced around, there was no sign of the human or any signs of life at all. He took a step...and his legs buckled beneath him and he fell with a cry to his knees.

"Damn!" He swore angrily, could he not even walk? Perhaps with a little support...but not like this. His eyes suddenly fastened on a fallen branch not two feet away from his present position. It was large, pointed at one end but it would indeed hold his weight. He reached for it, and upon grasping it and positioning it upright at his side, he puled himself up. This time, walking was much easier. He took once hesitant, painful step, then another...then another. He leaned heavily on the stick...but he was really walking. He stopped, catching his breath and looking around the forest, trying to recall where exactly he was.

The star-trees where blue, a bright navy blue which shone in the early morning sun. He could see no distinguishable way out of the thicket of star-trees so he instead started walking. In no particular direction, he tried to move his leg as little as possible, thud avoiding the larger part of his painful ache. The forest was silent, there was not even a breeze drifting through the trees. Where had everyone gone? Where had she taken him?

Then suddenly, he heard footsteps. Well, actually they sounded a bit more like hooves...approaching rapidly in his direction. He stared hard into the depths of the forest, his prospects brightening considerably. If he could get a horse, it might make his quest of finding a way out of Saronedhel's lair much easier. He could get weapons...maybe even find out where she hid during her long absences. He could still hear the hoof-beats...but he could see no signs of any sort of beast. But they were coming distinctly closer...and closer...he had not even time to breathe when he suddenly saw a white blue flash past him.

The horse brushed passed him so closely that it knocked his weakened body to the ground. He cried out in pain, grasping wildly for his stick. Then he looked hurriedly for the horse...which turned out not to be so difficult to find. It...he...was big. Quite unlike any of the elven or mortal bred horses he had ever seen. It was very tall, with long legs and stocky hindquarters and shoulders. And his whole body was sprinkled with brown, black, and grey spots. The horse pawed the earth a few feet away from him.

He supported his aching, injured shoulder with his good hand and sat up, wincing as he did so. All these falls were defiantly not helping him heal any faster. The horse tossed his mane, snorting, then approached Legolas with his nose down and his ears pricked. The whites of his eyes showed giving him an intelligent and mischievous look, it made Legolas almost want to smile. Now the tip of he horse's muzzle was only a few inches away. He reached out to pat it but the horse snorted again and backed off.

He gripped his crutch tighter and painfully drew himself to his feet, the horse eyeing him warily as he did so. "Hello there." He said softly in the common tongue. It worked, the horse seemed less inclined to bolt as Legolas spoke, he twitched his ears back and forth, watching him curiously. _Please just let me ride you...all right?_ He thought pleadingly. _Just a short ride..._ dragging himself forward he reached out to touch the horse again.

The horse bobbed his head, knickering softly. "Good boy...good. How are you my friend?" His hand met the horse's velvety muzzle and as he began to stroke it, the horse breathed softly into his hand. He limped awkwardly over to the horse so soon he was at the great animal's side. He could feel the excitement starting to kindle inside of him. This was his chance, his first gleam of hope of defeating Saronedhel. He would pull himself onto the horse's back and discover a way out of here.

Reached up tentatively and braced himself to leap. However, he was not prepared for the ear-splitting whistle that suddenly filled the forest around him. The horse shied away from him, knocking him over and instantly bolting off in the direction of the whistle. Legolas fought to control his breathing as pain radiated from his leg and he rose shakily to his feet. He rubbed his forehead, blinking and looking blearily in the direction that the horse had run off into. He had been so close...and now he could taste his disappointment bitterly on his tongue, it was an overpowering sense of failure and he swore angrily.

He lowered his head, trying to calm his anger when he blinked in surprise. Tracks, the horse had left tracks behind. Of course! How could he have been so foolish? He was in luck, the horse's hooves had carved a perfect trail for him to follow and he set off upon it immediately, the flicker of hope still burning weakly within him.

It wasn't difficult to follow, though it was tiring on his weakened state. Yet not long after the horse had run off, he finally stopped, staring in amazement. It was a flet...or rather a series of flets that connected into one not too far from where he stood, in two large trees. There was a winding stair that led up to the flet and he found himself recalling Lothlorien to his mind. Only there was none of the beauty and grace that was evident in the work of Galadriel's elves. Here the whole structure was rugged, though he had to admit it did hold a beauty of its own.

The stairs were made up if winding, twisting roots- almost invisible to untrained eyes. It was a marvel...and he found himself wondering how she could have possibly done it. He didn't like to speak her name, it tasted vile on his tongue. _Lover of Elves._ It made him want to laugh.

"_Might I remind you, Son of Thranduil, that it is I who has thus far saved your life. But at anytime I might also chose to take it."_

"_Why not then? Why not kill me?"_

"_Because I decided to save you. And I have."_

He fought a scowl as he thought of her words. He heard a sharp breeze...well no...that wasn't quite the right way of describing it. It was the familiar sound of a blade striking thin air. Someone was training. He had heard that same sound countless times before...usually it was met by another blade with a clash of steel. He heard it again...and again. Swinging faster- he searched the wood before him with sharp eyes and upon finding no success, he started walking towards the tree once more. On the other side of the tree bearing the flet he found the source of the sword.

He remained quite still, blending in with the brush and the trees to the best of his abilities as he looked on. There was a small clearing, from which a series of ropes hung down from tree branches at every possible angle. And, in the center, there was a clear circle large enough for sword play. And there, standing in the center, was Saronedhel. He couldn't really distinguish her features, her long hair had been pulled back into a plait once more but some of it had come lose. She twirled, wielding the blade deftly with fluid movements. She swung, facing an unseen opponent with skill and ferocity. She twirled, lept, trust, and parried for several minutes, it was a considerable amount of time before he noticed the sheen of sweat which dampened her body.

Her long, hooded cloak was resting on a branch at the edge of the circle, and she was not dressed in her usual black leggings and a strange, long tunic that was long enough to be a dress and was belted off at the waist. It was sleeveless and form-fitting. She paused, breathing hard, and rolled her shoulders and her head at the same time. He could hear tense muscles cracking as she did so. She shook herself a little bit, then gingerly shifted the sword to her other hand. She swung it slowly, as if testing its weight once more. Then she swung it again, this time with slightly more intensity and with more confidence. And then she swung it again...and again.

The she paused, grimacing and lowering the blade. The look of pain passed swiftly over her features. She grit her teeth, he cold see the determination written in her face. She swung again...but the sword dropped suddenly from her hand as if she had been burnt by it and she stumbled, clutching her shoulder. Her face was twisted in pain as she did so, and she fell weakly to her knees, breathing deeply. She was silent for a few minutes, then she looked up, glaring accusingly at the sword. She stood up, still glaring, and picked up the sword with her good hand. She stood there, holding it tightly and then with an angry string of curses, she flung it...directly at where Legolas was standing.

His eyes widened as he saw the sword slice through the air at him, he ducked, falling out of the way just in time. The sword vibrated as it stuck in the tree just behind him, quivering due to the force of the blow as he stood up. She was staring at him, her eyes wide with surprise. But the surprise was a fleeting look and was quickly replaced by one of irritation and rage. Her face melted into a scowl and she marched over to him with her blue eyes blazing.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded angrily, eyeing his crude crutch and disheveled appearance.

He watched her carefully, weighing his words before he spoke them, "I wandered." He said briskly. He did not have to be ordered around by her. His life was his own, no matter what. Her eyes narrowed and she glanced over him again.

"How did you find this place?"

He didn't want to answer, he wanted nothing more to do with her, but there was no point in ignoring her. "I followed a horse."

Her eyes widened slightly, still emotionless. She pushed past him and with a powerful pull removed the sword from the rough bark. "Did you." She said softly. "Did you really?"

"What is this place?" He asked suddenly. He gestured to the flets and she scowled once more. She did not seem to like questions very much.

"This is my home." She said tersely. "And you shouldn't have followed Talorta here. Stupid horses...he'd let anyone follow him where-ever they pleased."

"What was I suppose to do, _your majesty_," He said in reply. "Wait under the trees for you to bring me company, food, and drink? I am a warrior, the son of-"

"Every damn elf in Middle-earth knows exactly who your father is." She retorted smugly. "And nobody cares." She added, she seemed to enjoy seeing the outrage creep into his fine features. She gazed at him serenely through intelligent, azure eyes. She glanced upward in alarm as a beam of sunlight fell through the trees and land upon her. She side-stepped the beam in haste, giving Legolas the distinct impression that she did not look kindly upon the sun.

She looked up at her flet, "I suppose I'll have to take you in now. Damn it." She sighed, then turned to him, glaring. "I'm assuming you've already seen the way up."

He nodded. "The roots." He said aloud to nobody in particular.

"You're a bright one." She muttered. She walked back to the training circle and grabbed her long black cloak. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and shrugged the rest of it onto her shoulders before she returned to where he stood and gestured for him to follow. She had long, quick strides and she did not look back to see if he was keeping up all right. He knew climbing the steps would be awkward using his crutch, and the sharp stick dug into his arm painfully. He was getting much better at using it, but his leg would still throb every once in a while, dulling his senses.

She glanced back at him, eyed his crutch with a stone-faced expression."Your stick might get caught." She said and he followed her gaze to his crutch.

"I'll make do." He replied cooly.

She shrugged and walked causally up the steps and disappearing as she reached the platform where the flets began about nine or ten feet off the ground. He managed to get up the steps without too much difficulty and found as he too reached the top platform that he was surrounded by star-flowers. He had to duck to get through a little arch of them and he emerged into a large room. It was airy, with a ceiling that twisted and curved as if from branches and vines. There were tables and a few chairs scattered about, some with massive piles of books lying, some open, most closed, and one with an inkstand, quill, and a neat pile of parchment.

What was most startling about the room how ever were the walls. Every inch was covered with weapons of every kind and make. Elf, man, dwarf, orc, even a little hobbit bow. But what made him boil with anger was that a majority of the weapons were from his own kind. Saronedhel was standing in a corner of the room. And there was a hearth empty of flames. She was drinking something thirstily, and she set down her wooden cup after a moment before she turned to speak with him.

"Made it up all right." Again, it was not a question, but a fact. He regarded her with cold fury, his hands tightening on the wood of his crutch. "Where did you get these?" He said.

She glanced briefly at the walls, smirking she did so. "A prize from every enemy I've conquered." She caught his gaze, her blue eyes flashing. "Each one was dearly bought."

He felt himself shaking, a burning monster roaring and screaming inside of him. "These are the weapons of my people."

She smirked again. "They didn't need them anymore."

He hated her. He _hated _her.

"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten to add yours." She pointed to the hearth and there, position predominately above it was his bow, a gift from Galadriel, quiver, and two white fighting knives. _No._ He glared at her, hating every part of her. Enraged he let out a cry and rushed for her. Her eyes were lit with pleasure, as if she had been waiting for his attack. She avoided it easily as his awkward steps rushed at her. And, before he could even try to find her again, light and pain erupted in the back of his head and everything went black.

* * *

Again, all mistakes are mine though Kiann, my beta, managed to weed out most of them. :) I just went to go see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe again. I love that movie...I realized the other day that I was a fan of Narnia before I even heard of LotR. Strange how that works aye? I have two great Narnia fanfics swirling around in my head now just dying to get out onto paper. :)

My finals are FINALLY (lol) over and now I have a whole month off to relax and to WRITE WRITE WRITE:) Thanks everyone for all your reviews...they gave me warm, fuzzy feelings inside. :)

Oh, and Melissa, did you like my new adjective? I felt like I had a mission to find a new adjective: azure. Ah, (nudge nudge) How was that:)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and in case I don't get another chapter up before next week, Merry Christmas and God Bless:)

TO BE CONTINUED...


	37. Mysteries :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**He saved you...that's impossible."**

**ANNOUNCEMENT! SAFE IN MY ARMS HAS OFFICIALLY REACHED THE 300 REVIEWS MARK THANKS TO: _Daughter of Arabia_. AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL MY WONDERFUL READERS WHO BLESS ME WITH THEIR REVIEWS! THANK YOU! **

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Mysteries

* * *

He groaned as he awoke, his head throbbed painfully, erasing all other thought from his mind. He blinked, his tranquil, sleep-like trance broken. He frowned in confusion, where were the trees? The glittering flowers? He had become so used to looking up at them that their disappearance was rather disturbing. He was in a house, this he realized as he stared up at the ceiling. The many tree branches woven together to form protection from the outdoor elements. He propped himself up on his good arm and suddenly felt her cold hands on his leg. 

He jumped, slightly startled. She was hovering over him, dressed in her usual black garments. She glared daggers at him as he stared. "Will you lay still? This is hard enough with out you squirming." She muttered.

He blinked again in confusion, watching as her hands deftly probed his leg. "What are you doing?" He asked hoarsely.

"Removing the splint." She replied, not meeting his gaze.

He blinked again, slowly trying to recollect where he was and how he had gotten here. Why was it so hard to remember? Then it hit him, full force leaving him breathless and enraged. He struggled to get up, but found his arms tied tightly to the bed upon which he was laid. She looked up at him, a smirk on her face.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?"

He stared at her in disbelief, the anger raging inside of him, and only moments after she had uttered those words then he had taken his good leg and kicked her ferociously in the face with his booted foot. The blow caught her unawares and therefore sent her reeling back with a hand over the left side of her face. She regained her balance as she turned to him. Her eyes were blazing with fury, her nose was bleeding and looked possibly, and hopefully, broken. A cut had been smashed into her forehead, just above her right eye.

"Don't you touch me again." He growled, his body straining against his restraints. She reached up and gingerly touched the cut above her eye.

"You don't seem to understand a lot of things, princeling." She said flatly. "And one of those things," She said, approaching him again. "Is not to bite the hand that feeds you." With a vicious twist she jabbed her fist into the uncovered portion of his wounded leg.

Light blinded him from the back of his eyes and he cried out as pain erupted in his head.

"I think perhaps you need to think some things over, dear prince." Saronedhel said as she worked on removing the splint. "You will be here for either a very long time, or for a very short one. I would be careful as to which you choose." She said, as she finished removing the splint and placed it down on a table beside her. She looked up into his face, blood pouring from her nose and down the side of her face. "For the manner in which you leave truly what determines that choice. Only one will bear you out of my forest alive."

"Go ahead, kill me." He snarled, the memories of his dead warriors, Aragorn, and the weapons lining her wall blazing about in his mind. "I would rather die then accept further hospitality from a _murderer._"

She stopped, staring at him through blue eyes raging with the anger one expects to see before the life is struck from your body. Her right eye was streaked with blood. "Murderer?" She asked softly. "A murderer am I?" Her gaze traveled from his face to his tunic, before resting on the medallion which rested on the bare portion of his chest. "So much grief and anger over so small and thing." She murmured. "Such a little thing." She met his gaze again. "You want knowledge from me about how I received that medallion...don't you?"

He had no words to say as the hope inside of him fluttered deep within his chest. The hope fighting anger as he thought of Faerlian.

"You want to know how I received so precious an artifact? Well, dear prince, that's all well and good. But I should like to know first... how did _you_ get it? Hm? And how did you lose something that obviously meant so much to you?"

He was caught off-guard by her question, found himself trying to dig up the answer. _Had it been so long ago?_ "It was given to me by my mother...before she died."

Saronedhel sneered. "Elves don't die."

"She did." He answered flatly. "A lot of us do."

There was no emotion in her eyes and she flinched, ever so slightly, before her eyes narrowed and she neared him. "Gave it away?" Her body was only inches from him now. "A medallion that you ordered me executed me for stealing?"

"You were ordered executed because of your crimes as an assassin." He said, growing irritated that he had to explain himself to her.

"Oh, yes. That business. How could I have forgotten? I think you knew what my true crime was though, didn't you _Prince Legolas_?" She hissed his name as if it were venom on her tongue. "Then why did you give it away?"

She stared at him again, her eyes unblinking as she smirked at him, and he hated her. Oh how he _hated_ her! "It was given to a friend, as a reward for saving my life."

"Ha!" She screeched. "Seems you just can't take care of yourself dear prince, is that it? Is that why the mortal man follows you about like a puppy? Is he your puppet princely? Your chew toy?" He pulled again at his restraints, so hard that he grimaced as pain shot up through his still tender arm. She leaned forward so that her face was only inches away from his own. "Tell me...what happened to your friend?"

"You killed him!" He shouted! "That's what happened!"

Her eyes narrowed and the smirk faded from her lips. "Two can play at this game, princey. I killed him aye? All right then...what was his name?"

Was she admitting to murdering Faerlain? Would she truly answer his endless questions now? He closed his eyes, now wishing her to see his eagerness, his hope. Maybe she would leave him alone...maybe he would soon be well enough to get out of here...maybe then...he could kill her.

"Faerlain." He said softly, suddenly too weary to fight back. He opened his eyes and relaxed against his binds, he was already half sitting up, but he had to fight the want to lay back down and to disappear into the dreamless state of sleep. But as he watched her, Legolas had not expected her reaction to that name. What he had expected what a snappish retort, a victorious claim, maybe a bit of gloating. But she didn't do anything like that. Instead her face blanched and he watched as the blood drained leaving her a sickly, pale, and disbelieving sight.

"What did you say?"

"Faerlain." He repeated, confused by her actions.

She jerked away as if struck by a blow. "How did you know him?" She whispered, her blue eyes filled with horror.

"I told you." He said irritably. "He saved my life."

She blinked. "He...he _saved _you?" She said softly, she wiped away the blood from her nose, then brought her hand to her temples and massaged them gently. "That's impossible." She murmured. She looked back at him, saw him weakly straining against his binds.

But there was no anger in her eyes, only pain...and death. She rose, withdrew and dagger from its sheath on her hip and cut the ropes in one, fluid movement. Stumbling backward as if struck, she ran drunkenly from the room and slammed the door behind her, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

* * *

_Eryn Lasgalen (Mirkwood) Palace_

_Three Weeks Previous_

* * *

All Aragorn could remember of the orc attack was that his company had indeed been attacked by orcs. He had been on the ground, out ahead and Legolas had stopped his horse snappishly answering his guards inquires with, "Don't you hear it?" Aragorn had not heard anything at first...had only stared in confusion as the elves had begun to search dazedly around them, and that was when he had finally heard it. A sweet, haunting melody that whispered through the trees and blew lightly around the still figures of the enchanted warriors. 

And he had been one the first to hear a new sound...footsteps, iron-clad footsteps. The orcs has come so swiftly that there had been no time to retaliate, no time to defend themselves. Aragorn had felt something twinge painfully in his shoulder...and that was all he could remember.

He had awaken in one of the many wards of the Palace Infirmary, aching, but still very much alive. He was slightly weak and sore, but was able to limp around to inquire as to the fate of his company...and of his dearest friend. Only one other elf from the original band of seven had survived, and only just barely. He had received serious head injuries and also a severe severing to his left arm. But he had slung Aragorn to the last remaining horse and had managed to bring them both back to the palace safely.

The elf was healing much faster then Aragorn's own, aging and throughly mortal body, would ever allow. The elf had told Aragorn that after he had been struck down, the orcs had slung the unconscious body of the Prince over their horny backs and disappeared into the depths of the forest. The warrior had searched for survivors among his comrades, but the orcs had been brutally skilled in their work and the only survivor he had found laying among the dead had been Aragorn, lying still with a bashed forehead and an arrow shaft in his shoulder.

The healers patched Aragorn up well enough so that he could discover all of this shortly after he had indeed awoken...but they could not heal the ache deep inside of him. He had left Legolas behind...had _left _him to the _orcs_. And the worst part was that the trail they had been following had vanished...and there was no longer any signs of a struggle in the clearing where the fight had taken place. It was if nothing had ever happened there...not even the dead remained.

So he would have to set out to find Legolas...and he would have to trek back through the forests of Eryn Lasgalen and travel deep with the ghost's territory...again. Only this time, Legolas wouldn't be there to help him.

* * *

Eryn Lasgalen Palace was just as regal as he had always remembered it. It had not passed into decay as Lothlórien had begun to after the departure of Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel. The halls were decoated with leafy vies and flowers of subtle greens and tans. But the rooms were adorned exquisitely with precious gems and jewels. With eloquent tapestries and marble statues proclaiming the glory of those who had long since passed from these halls. Thranduil had always been a great lover of the finer elements in his long life and had always been a collector of pearls, jewels, and the finest silver and gold that he could get his hands on. 

Perhaps he could be called greedy, but he was a just king who had always ruled his subjects with a wise hand. Eryn Lasgalen had only been in peace for a few years since the end of the War of the Ring...and this trouble with the orcs was only an all too frequent reminder of the older days...of darker days when Eryn Lasgalen had still been called Mirkwood.

Aragorn limped painfully down the long hall to the throne room. Thranduil had requested his presence to discuss Aragorn's plans for the search for his son...a search that had failed twice in the two weeks that Aragorn had been bedridden. It was a time that had been far too long. The doors were thrown open before he even touched the fine brass handles and he self-consciously rubbed his aching shoulder, his arm resting limply in a sling.

Thranduil was not seated on his throne as Aragorn had expected him to be, instead the elven king was hunched over some maps with an elven main at his side. Curious, he moved closer, he did not announce his presence for he knew the elves had heard his arrival as soon as the doors had swung open. Thrandul looked up, his thin, silver crown rested upon his head, his hair was the color of the finely polished gold he treasured so much. There was a frown on his regal face as he gazed at him.

"Lord Aragorn." Thranduil said, inclining his head at the human king, a sign of respect which Aragorn imitated. "I trust you are healing well then?"

"Your healers have patched me up excellently, my Lord. I shall be my old self again in time."

"Good...very good." He gestured to an elf standing along the wall and the elf joined them swiftly and silently.

"Your message to Queen Arwen has been sent, Lord Aragorn. 'You wish to stay in Eryn Lasgalen a while longer and to send for Lord Faramir to take charge of the city until your return.'"

Aragorn nodded, "Thank you, that is correct. Please notify me as soon as the message has been replied to."

"Your message was borne by our swiftest riders, milord. It shan't be long now." The elf inclined his head to Aragorn, then to Thranduil, and then walked away.

"I have heard that you intend to send out another search party before the new moon, Aragorn." Thranduil said, dropping his tone of formality and addressing the human king not in a condoning way, but as an equal.

"Sooner then that I should think." Aragorn replied. "I intend to leave within three days time."

Thranduil's tone darkened and he frown deepened. "I know you are healing fast Aragorn, but my healers have informed me that your arrow wound was poisoned. You are not one of the fair folk, a journey this soon could be jeopardizing for you."

Now it was Aragorn's turn to frown. "With all due respect sire, I have stayed away from the forest far too long as it is. I must depart quickly."

"I can send out some of my own people in your stead..."

"Milord, I was I who escaped that ambush. And it is your son who is now in the hands of such brutal enemies."

Thranduil nodded, "The trail has been erased from the attack, are you sure that you can track them? You will have to go deep into the ghost's territory, and despite what I may have said in the past, she is a dangerous enemy."

"I can track them fine and it is this ghost that I fear the least. Besides, she does not have the same effect on my as she did on your warriors. If we meet again I believe that I have a better chance of escaping her then would any of your people."

Thranduil pursed his lips and nodded. "Very well, I had though you would say as much." He gestured to the maps which were spread out on a table in front of him. "As I said, you will be going deep into the ghost's territory looking for orcs who have a habit ambushing without warning. Because of this I will be sending a larger force out with you."

"I think it would be better if I took a smaller group out milord, fewer men slip through a large forest more easily."

"As you wish." the elven king replied. "You may hand-pick your men and take any supplies you need from out store houses. And I have taken the liberty of hiring a guide for you."

Aragorn blinked in surprise. "A guide?"

Thranduil turned to the main who stood beside him. "May I present the Lady Araviniel."

The maiden was pale with long, dark tresses. Her eyes were a strange green, an unusual color for an elf. She was tall and slim, and her clothing, which consisted of a simply gown, was all black. She curtsied to him, her face emotionless as she did so. "Milord." She said.

"Lady Araviniel has recently returned from scouting out our borders. She is familiar with the northern parts of the forest and has been exploring them for a number of years now." Thranduil continued.

The Lady met his inquiring gaze with a frosty stare. "Exploring the northern territory? An unusual task for an elven maid." Commented Aragorn, his eyes still meeting hers.

"An unusual task for an unusual maid, milord." She answered quietly, folding her hands together and dropping her gaze.

"She knows the forest better then most and I believe she will be a great asset to you."

Aragorn nodded, curbing his doubts about the elven maid who was to guide them through so dark a part of the forest. "Will you be ready to leave in three days time?" He asked her.

"I am ready now milord." Her eyes were roaming and Aragorn received the impression that her emerald orbs did not miss much.

"Very good then." Conceded Thranduil. "If you have no luck with your search in three weeks time, or if we receive no word from you, I shall send out reinforcements. Understood?"

"Perfectly milord, now if you'll excuse me."

"Of course."

"King Thranduil." He inclined his head. "Lady Araviniel."

"Oh, and Aragorn-" The King added, Aragorn looked into his face as the elf placed a firm hand on his arm. "Bring my son home." He said softly.

"I will do my best Lord Thranduil." Aragorn replied, the king released him and Aragorn inclined his head once more. "I shall see you both again shortly."

* * *

**A/N: **I have struck a cord for Victoria, at last, I bet all you really wanted to see her crack. :) How'd you like her confrontation with 'princey' as she called him? I know some most of you are rather anxious for Legolas to find out that Victoria didn't kill the villagers of Gilloth but I can only tell you that it will all be in good time...in a manner that you will not expect. (grins evilly) 

Thanks again for everyone who read and reviewed, my hope for this story is that it will hit 400 reviews...but I won't cry if it doesn't. So if you are a silent reader, any review would be appreciated! Good or Bad! Praise or Crap:) I will update soon! Happy New Year and Merry Christmas all! I LOVE YOU:)

TO BE CONTINUED...


	38. Riddles in the Dark :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**Stranger things have happened." She said sharply. "Was it not a half-ling who destroyed the evil Sauron? Did not a ranger from the North become a king?"**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Eight 

Riddles in the Dark

* * *

_Eryn Lasgalen_

_The Palace_

* * *

It was becoming all too familiar, mounting the horses, riding to the city gates, the preparations to leave, preparing to face danger...or even death. Yet this time it was different, for it was not Legolas who rose at his side, but instead an elven maid dressed in the dark greens and browns usual to the fair folk of Eryn Lasgalen. She did not farewell anyone as the others did, only mounted her horse, standing at the brink of the forest while she waited for the others and stared into its depths. There was a scowl on her face and a look of grim determination in her eyes. And the misplaced king of Gondor found himself wondering if the Lady Araviniel's reasons for accompanying the party were as black and white as they all thought. 

He had taken three men from his own country, all Dùnedain, as well as four elven warriors, one of which was the Lady Araviniel's companion. And then their was the lady herself, of course. _Nine. _A company of nine. Was it fated to be such? Or should he consider the number to be unlucky? No...there was no such thing as luck. He shook the thoughts from his mind as they rode deeper into the forest, and further from the safety of the palace gates.

* * *

_Saronehdel's Lair_

* * *

It was the first time Legolas had ever seen her lose the calm, always icy expression that frequented her pale, gaunt features. It was the first time he had ever seen so much pain in that face...a face he had grown to loathe and despise with every pulse, every breath of air in his body. And now, he wasn't sure whether or not he should try to escape, wander, or else wait for the elf-slayer to return. Presently he sat up and, wincing, rubbed the red marks on his wrists where the rope had bitten into his skin. He stretched the aching muscles in his back and tried to block the haunted gaze of Saronedhel from his mind. 

Perhaps she really did feel remorse over having killed Faerlain, though, in truth, it had never bothered her before...even when she had been accused of assassinating the entire village of Gilloth. No...something was not right here, the piece of the puzzle did not fit. He gripped an edge of the bed with fresh determination and, straining with the effort, he slowly slid off the bed. He winced as he put his full weight on his injured leg and was pleasantly surprised to find that he was not greeted by a bolt of pain. Instead there was a sharp twinge, but nothing that proved him incapable of keeping on his feet. Concentrating on what was in front of him, he took a hesitant step forward...and then another. The steps were strained and awkward but the end result was well-worth the effort...he could move again.

His limbs, though slightly stiff, were indeed healing. He glanced around the room, his eyes quickly taking in the details of his current prison. It was dimly lit, a large cavernous kind of area with walls and ceiling composed only of tightly woven branched and vines. There was nothing adorning the walls. And the bed he had been stretched out upon seemed more like a series of wooden planks rather then any kind of mattress. A sharp pang in his back was a reminder that his body was not conformed to sleeping on wooden planks.

Next to the 'bed' there was a small basin, filled with bloody water. On the opposite side there was a series of long shelves that stretched up to several feet in size and filled with various pots, herbs, and bandages. And there, lying desolate on the floor, was the splint Saronedhel had constructed for his leg and also, the knife she had used to cut away his bandages. This his made swiftly for and, upon grasping the intricately carved handle, he slipped it into the belt at his waist. Then glancing once again about the room his eyes fastened upon what he had been searching for...the door. Now all he needed was a course of action.

Saronedhel had left him more or less on his own and she had been upset when she had left the room. There was an excellent chance that not he had time to gain the upper hand on this whole mess...for he knew that he would not let himself be taken advantage of again. Limping forward towards the door, he grimaced as his footsteps thudded noisily across the floor, as he was used to his usually soft, soundless footfalls. That was another mystery of Saronedhel. She was distinctly and utterly human and yet she moved with the grace of the elves. She reminded him of Aragorn, the human had grown up in the house of Elrond, resulting in his elf-like movements and stance. But why would she imitate a race that she loathed so much? But, then again, that came down to the question of why she would have bothered to rescue him at all. Why had she not left him for the orcs? Why had she taken him in?

He shook his head, fighting to keep his wavering mind on topic. He need weapons, he needed to find a way out, and he needed answers. Had she known Faerlain? Had she killed him in cold blood only to learn her mistake afterwards? Had she killed him without thinking at all? Clasping the handle of the dagger, if only to reassure himself that it was still there, he limped forward, grasped the cool metal of the door handle and swung it open. The door creaked softly on old hinges and revealed a circular room. There were various arrows lining the walls... there were no windows and the only light came from the room he had just come out of.

Each arrow was different, each had its own design, but all had the same similarity...all had a black shaft. He gazed about the room as he walked further in. There were four doors, five including the one he had just come out of. Frowning, he neared the one directly across from him and, grasping the handle, he pushed it open. Light illuminated the small room from the doorway and, blinded and blinking, he walked into the light.

* * *

_Deep Inside the Forest_

* * *

The Lady Araviniel was not a maid from idle chatter, nor idle purposes apparently. She never faltered from her post as lead guide, spiting any misgivings the Gondorian king and those who followed her might had held before their journey's start. Her eyes were always moving, searching the ground and everything around her with a diligence that was slightly unnerving. Nor did she speak much, actually, she spoke hardly at all. If asked a direct question she would answer it but to all appearances, she was either anxious to bring their journey to an end or else she was anxious to accomplish something by its end. Either way, their horses were in no way under-worked. 

Elves are used to silence, and so were Aragorn and his fellow Gondorians from their days in the northern lands. But the Ranger had grown used to conversing quietly with Legolas on their many excursions together. Only this time, it was not Legolas at his side, but an elven maid who was suppose to help him rescue or otherwise discover the fate of his friend. Once in a while she would dismount, her green eyes sweeping the forest floor. Other times she would push the horses to a faster pace and in this way, they reached the clearing where they had originally made camp in half the time.

It was impressive tracking and, as she had never seen the place before, (supposedly) it was even more astounding when she pointed out a blood-stained cloth which still clung to the bush where Legolas had found the trail of blood in what seemed ages before.

The group dismounted as she held the cloth out for him to examine. "This is where we found the trail of blood originally." He said in gruff respect.

She nodded, one of her slender hands tapping her thigh as she gazed at it. "Yes, but that's what doesn't make any sense." She replied. "The rain and weather would, and have, blown away any other traces of anything that had occurred around here. This being so, the question remains, why has this survived?" She pointed at the blood-stain. "This is relatively fresh, the owner put it in use only recently...a day or so at the most."

Aragorn frowned at the cloth now spread out in the palm of his hand. "What would some wounded soul be doing out here in the middle of the forest?"

"Why would anyone be out alone in this forest?" She said softly, her eyes scanning the barren tree-tops.

"Only a day or so..." He murmured, thinking aloud. "Then we should find tracks, shouldn't we."

Her gaze turned to him, scrutinizing him. "Just because we should doesn't mean we will, not in times such as these with ghosts wandering about." She shook her head, smoothed her long brown tresses and then knelt next to the bush where she had discovered the cloth. "My guess is that someone else returned to this site and left this here accidentally. It also probably means that this stranger is either waiting for us, or is trying to hide something from us. This being so, this stranger may have left some sign of his or her stay...but again, one can never know in a forest like Mirkwood."

"Eryn Lasgalen- it was renamed." Aragorn said softly.

She glared at him, "There is still far too much darkness in this forest for me. Mirkwood it shall remain until those wreaking destruction upon my people are put under justice." She turned back to the bush. "No...something dark is breeding in these woods...something dangerous..." She knelt, examining the dark, rich earth. Over her shoulder Aragorn could see her slender fingers slowly brushing the soil. She stiffened, "No...that's impossible..." She whispered. Lowering herself closer to the ground, she squinted in the fading light.

"Do you see something?" Aragorn asked, watching as her gaze rose from the earth to gaze into the depths of the forest.

"Just a feeling." She said rising, and clutching something tightly in her hand. "That somebody is watching us." She held the object out to him and upon taking it he examined it. It was a vial of sorts, a small crystal vial which hung on a dull, silver chain. There was a clear substance inside, one that sparkled and flickered in weakly in the dim light. "It's a healing juice...from the gílorn trees." She said softly, turning back to look at him. "It is a precious substance...difficult to make. Discovered by one of our own healers...an older elf named Mirlaic. It takes a year to create and since its discovery one vial has been given to every elf child upon their birth. It heals nearly every malady."

"I have never heard of such a substance." Aragorn said in awe, holding the vial reverently in the palm of his hand.

"I would imagine that you hadn't heard of the trees themselves until recently. With good cause; the people of Gilloth wished to keep it a secret from those who would use the healing power of the star-flowers against them. The juice can also be turned into a deadly poison if administered correctly. For this reason, few elves even with Mirkwood have heard of its existence. Some might have expected the secret to die with the slaughtered innocence."

Aragorn looked up into the maiden's fair face as she stared at the vial with unexplainable sadness. "How do you know of it then?" He asked her gently.

Her emerald eyes met his own in an unblinking stare. "I was from that village. I grew up there. I worked as a hand-maid for the Queen when I came of age. After she passed I returned to Gilloth. I was called away by pressing matters at the palace and was therefore spared from the attack by the elf-slayer." There were no tears in her eyes as she spoke, no despair in their dark depths. She was cold...as if she had already stroked the hand of death. "I buried my mother there, and my own vial along with her. I had a brother...he was away fighting on our borders...I never heard from him again."

"I am truly sorry for your loss, milady. If there is anything I can do..."

She rose her hand, silencing him. "The past is best left buried." She said softly. "My peace shall come by other means."

Glancing at his hand as silence enveloped them, he pressed the vial into her icy fingers. "You should keep this." He said gently, but she only shook her head and gave it back.

"No. I can not. The secret died in my village...perhaps you shall put it to good use. I have heard tales of your healing abilities...trained by Lord Elrond himself."

Aragorn nodded, smiled sadly. "He raised me as a son."

"As his son, you are wise milord. And a just king you have become. I am intrusting the memory of my village to you." He nodded, slid the chain over his head and concealed the vial beneath his tunic.

"But how could so precious an artifact gotten here? Is it possible that one of your people could have misplaced the vial...or perhaps traded it?"

Araviniel shook her head. "It is unlikely. I believe the owner is possibly another survivor from my village...it is the only explanation." The two could hear soft murmurings of disbelief behind them and she turned to them, her hunter green cloak whirling out behind her. "Stranger things have happened." She said sharply as they fell silent under her probing gaze. "Was it not a halfling who destroyed the evil Sauron?" She glanced at Aragorn. "Was it not a Ranger from the North who became a king?" Her eyes were emotionless as she gazed at him. "The owner of this vial stood here...as we are standing here now. By the tracks he has left behind, he was also tracking someone...or something. And he waited here...possibly even for us. He is alone, and he has left a trail that runs deep into the forest." She pointed in the direction that the trail of blood had led.

She looked at them all, her green eyes blazing. "Whatever is wandering these woods is flesh and bone. No ghost. And he is waiting for us gentlemen. Yes, he is waiting for us." She shifted her weight, drew a dagger from the folds of her skirt. "The final decision belongs to Lord Aragorn, I am only a guide. But I propose that we follow these tracks."

"With all due respect milady." Said a warrior from behind them, stepping forward as he spoke. "We're looking for a band of orcs, and the prince. Not for a solitary wounded stranger. Even if he...or she...is indeed from your village."

Araviniel smirked. "Hasty words." She said. "And yet...my village may have more to do with this riddle then any of us could have imagined. Besides, the stranger is bleeding." She held up the cloth, crumpled in the tight fist of her right hand. "And when there are orc about, the stranger shall not go undetected by our enemies for very long. I believe this stranger will have some of the answers we are searching for."

"So you propose that we follow this trail...hoping for bait?" Concluded Aragorn skeptically.

Araviniel glanced at him, and the first smile he had ever seen graced her fair features.

"Exactly."

* * *

**A/N: **Ok, so all of you should now know that Araviniel was Faerlain's sister and Victoria's greatest friend. So what does she have to do with this whole mystery? And who is the stranger? And lastly, where the hell am I going with this? Well, my lovelies, you will see...yessss...you will see, my precioussss. :) (grins evilly) If you have a question, drop a review! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will do my best to update soon! 

By the Lion's Mane,

Allora

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	39. The Maid :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**You are the maid...aren't you?"**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The Maid

* * *

_Eryn Lasgalen_

_Saronedhel's Flet_

* * *

The room Legolas entered was quite unlike any other he had ever seen. Stumbling in and wincing as he put unwanted weight on his leg, and blinking in the blinding light, he placed a hand in front of his eyes and his vision slowly reappeared. He was in a smaller room now, with light streaming into the room in all sorts of colors from stained glass on the ceiling. The blinding light was from a window on the far wall that was, on closer inspection, the color of blood red.

He gazed around in wonder- the arrows he had seen in the previous room lined the walls forming a kind of border. But what was most striking about the room was the murals that decorated the walls. More red light shone in from above upon them, giving the murals an eerie quality. There was a large, rectangular table in the center of the room with papers and pens scattered across it; in another corner there was a small bed. The room in size was smaller then the one which had held Saronedhel's trophies, but larger than the one he had just escaped from.

There were pots full of varieties of liquid colors and a number of soiled brushed laying about. He walked further in, his eyes drawn to the murals once more. They covered the entire room save for where the arrows bordered the room...some of the murals even continuing onto the floor when there had been no more room on the wall itself. He walked toward one of the murals and found himself looking into the painted face of a young maiden. She was dancing in a forest of twilight, the colors of a sunset bursting beneath her feet in a rainbow of crimson, reds, orange, yellows, violets, and royal blues. The leaves above her had only just changed their color. Tears were flowing from her cheeks as she danced, fair hair whipping about her face and veiling her eyes as she twirled, barefooted, among the towering trees.

His gaze wandered, there was the maiden again, on a white horse...or what appeared to be white. Blood flowed from wounds on her body, staining her dress. There was a fog, strange shapes littering the ground. He moved along, coming closer to the mural. There was this one particular shape in the fog...the light around him dimmed for a moment...he snatched a candle, still burning furtively on the table; his curiosity burning as brightly as the flickering flame. He held it up to the wall, coming nearer. He squinted, brought the candle up to his eyes.

He recoiled in shock as the objects in the painting became suddenly clear. The severed head of a horse, blood flowing from it and staining the earth. He looked again, frantically searching for something else to avert his attention. But then there were more. More horses...and bodies. Bodies twisted and deformed. Rain causing their blood to form rivers in the streets. He stumbled back...trying to escape but they were everywhere. His arms were red..._why were his arms red?_

..._the blood..._

_...the blood..._

He clawed at his arm, but there was still more. He stumbled backward, stumbling over pots as he fell hard to the floor.

And there she was again, dark hair clinging to her face. Blood pouring from her side as her gown, now saturated with rainwater, clung to her body and out-lined her well-muscled form. Blood staining the sword...blood in her eyes...and the bodies..._bodies everywhere..._

"What are you doing?" Asked a voice hoarsely from behind him. The door opened as standing just in front of it was the elf-slayer. Her proud figure hunched and death in her eyes.

"_What have you done?"_

* * *

_Eryn Lasgalen_

_Deep Within the Forest_

* * *

The trail of blood had led them deep into the northern most parts of the forest. And then there was her eyes...something in Araviniel's depth less green eyes...something in the barren trees that whispered and urged for them to hurry.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Aragorn asked of her as they continued on. Mounted and spying the trail easily from horseback, she turned to him with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I have lived too long and seen too much to believe in such things." She said. "Would not my mother and brother have come to see me if the Valar permitted such things to occur?"

"I do not think it is so simple." The king began after he had digested her words. "But then you do not believe in Gwenél?"

"I believe in what I can touch, milord. Tangible things: soil, tracks, hair, plants. Ghosts are as much living as the rest of us. No different."

"Believe in what is proven...does that not go against what the Valar teach?" Aragorn asked as he thought on what she said.

"Perhaps." She said vaguely. "Perhaps not. It is difficult for me to believe in many things anymore."

They remained silent for a long while after that, the horses hooves plodding against the earth as their surefooted feet found the sure paths through the thick underbrush.

It would be dark soon.

* * *

It wasn't long before they found the note. The next day, at dawn, they rode out and by midday it had started to snow, only lightly the hour that they had discovered the ancient piece of parchment. Araviniel had read it silently to herself before handing it off to the king and, in a hand that wrote shakily he read these words:

_Strangers:_

_You are foolish to wander so closer into danger. Have you not fallen into a trap such as this before? Be warned: danger lies at your feet- do not let it jump up and smite you. Turn back before worse should occur. It would be such a pity for more blood to stain this earth. What you lost before you shall lose once more...and I shan't warn you again. _

_Gwenél_

Folding the parchment within his tunic, Aragorn briefly told his men their current situation before, with grim determination written on the faces of their company, they pressed on. Still it snowed, and though lightly as before, Aragorn could distinctly see that the elven maid before him was slowing until, as the snow began to whirl ferociously about them, she stopped with a moan of disappointment.

"It is no use!" She exclaimed in irritation. "The snow had become too thick...I've lost the trail."

Aragorn fought the instinct to shudder as these new events began to mirror those that had claimed the lives of five since dead warriors and the resulting capture of his closest friend. He gritted his teeth and a scowl appeared on his usually serene features. No...it would not happen again. He would not let it happen again. Araviniel had turned to him and he was startled to see so forlorn desperation in her green eyes. She quickly blinked the emotion away as she met his gaze and become a mask of stone once more .

"What do we do now?" He asked softly, mostly to himself as his thoughts scrambled to find another course of action. "We could backtrack to the clearing...but it won't get us far."

"We are deep within Gwenél's territory." Araviniel said quietly. "We must move with caution."

"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts." Aragorn said, training his eyes upon the way she kept nervously fidgeting with her hands. The slender, pale fingers were tapping a silent beat on her thigh or were otherwise employed pulling at the hem of her tunic. The snow was falling harder now...it would soon be up to the horses' knees at this rate.

"What is it?" He asked her, eyeing her as her eyes darted to and fro into the forest.

"What you lost before you shall lose once more." She said softly, repeating a line from the letter. "_What you lost before you shall lose once more."_

"We should move on, milord." Said one of the Rangers behind him. A twig snapped somewhere in the forest and they all fell silent.

Araviniel dismounted, rubbing her mare's neck and nearing one of the trees as she unsheathed two knives. "They're close." She said, gingerly touching the bark of the tree, and looking up into its canopy.

Aragorn dismounted and followed her lead, nearing her with hurried footsteps. "Close to whom?" He asked softly from beside her.

She sniffed the tree bark and lowered her hands to her sides. She dropped the knives and slowly removed her bow from her shoulders and fitted an arrow to it. Suddenly sensing danger, he walked ahead of her and unsheathed his sword, gesturing for the others to prepare themselves.

"Do you not know?" She whispered in reply to his question. He glanced back at her and she nodded at him, pointing her bow upwards towards the sky. The snow continued to fall as the others began to dismount. There was no time to fight back.

One of the horses reared and the rest shifted about nervously in fright. He heard Araviniel's arrow fly from the bow with a sharp twang, heard it whistle fly further from them. He thought he heard a scream pass through Araviniel's taunt lips, and he felt something hard blast pain into his skull...and that was all.

And the snow whirled as the horses screamed...and the snow whirled...the dark scarlet staining the snow

* * *

.

_Saronedhel's Chambers_

* * *

Legolas didn't know how to answer her as she neared him. She was clutching her shoulder, her eyes were red and swollen from tears. But there was such malice in her face...such hatred that for a moment he could bring no words to his lips.

"How did you get in here?" She hissed, wiping angrily at tears that still dared to trickle down her pale cheeks as she fully entered the room. She stumbled drunkenly, gathering up the pots he had knocked over and picking up papers that had fallen to the floor.

"You are the maid aren't you?" He asked softly.

She stopped her wild actions and turned to face the murals, her back facing him. She looked up at one, traced the tears of the dancing maid with her finger tips. Her hand slid down the wall, curling into a fist as she did so. She leaned against it, her body heaving for air.

"Were you?" He persisted, rising painfully to his feet in order to look at her.

She was silent for a long time then, ever so slowly, she turned to face him. Had there always been that long scar running down her left cheek? Had he never noticed it before now? She glared weakly at him, and bowed her head. "Yes." She whispered. "I was...a long time ago." Silently she drew herself up, stared at the mural, and with a look of unexplainable rage she threw her fist into the wall. The mural held firm, but he could almost hear the skin on her knuckles tear as she withdrew it, her hand shaking. She whirled suddenly to him, her eyes blazing.

"Get out." She hissed, her eyes blazing with anger.

He wished to say something defiant...to show her that he would never do anything she said ever again. But before he could utter a single word she was screaming at him.

"GET OUT! GET OUT OF HERE!"

He stumbled backward in surprise, startled by her words. He was at the door now, staring at her as she cradled her shaking, bleeding hand. She didn't look at him again. She glanced at the murals once more and then, slowly, sank to the floor. Her frame, clothed in black, shook with sobs. She hid her face in her hands as the tears started to flow. And that was all Legolas saw as he retreated from the room and closed the door.

* * *

Legolas wandered the house after his encounter with Saronedhel. The other two doors in the circular room were locked so that left him with only one to explore which ended up leading to the great hall were her trophies lined the walls with tales seeping of betrayal, hurt, and doom. From there he limped out into the yard, stood a few feet away from the training circle as he got his weapons in order, the ones he had retrieved from their spot above the hearth. The knives were fine and his bow and arrows in excellent condition. He frowned at the arrows' presences in his quiver, or lack thereof, was a sharp reminder that he did not belong here.

Presently he heard hoof-beats coming his way and he looked up. He wasn't at all surprised by the appearance of Saronedhel's strange, spotted horse. And, cooing softly to the animal in the ancient tongue of his people, he persuaded the stallion to come forward. He found a smile forming upon his lips as the horse gently nudged his side and nipped at his long, dis-arrayed locks that fell in tangles around his shoulders, creating a welcome diversion for his thoughts at hand.

Like, for instance, how he was suppose to escape from a murderer who was, quite possibly, thoroughly insane. The horse nudged him again, sniffing him curiously as one does to test the condition of an overripe piece of cheese. There were still no answers...he hated that.

"_Were you the maid?"_

"_Yes...I was. A long time ago."_

Was she finally admitting then to murdering the people of Gilloth and countless others who had crossed her path? The horse nudged him once more, as if telling the lazy elf to get moving. Legolas smiled as he stroked the horse's sleek neck. Talorta knickered appreciatively at this new found source of pleasure, seemingly unaware that this strange elf was his mistress' prisoner, he began to nuzzle Legolas affectionately. The grin came unbidden to his lips once more.

"At least she treats you well, aye?"

The horse bobbed his head and then, quite suddenly, the horse backed a few steps away from Legolas and, bending on knee, he slid his other leg out in front of him and did something that looked remarkably like a bow. Legolas chucked in astonishment.

"When did you learn that? Talorta...that is your name...isn't it?" The horse made no reply, only stared up at the elf with dark eyes. The idea came rather swiftly into his mind then. It caught him rather off-guard actually. But, starting forward with determination, he patted the horse cautiously and the large, white head turned to him and gazed at him with eyes that gave no hint as to what it was thinking.

Seeing as the horse gave no objection, in one, fluid movement, he slid onto the horse's broad back and the horse straightened up as if on cue.

"Well...that went a lot smoother then last time." He commented wryly, stroking the horse's neck and glancing around in curiosity and wondering what exactly he was to do next.

* * *

My tears fell in torrents, pain lancing through my body in lightning shocks. He had seen my paintings...and I had seen the horror in his pale, grey eyes. Yes. I was the maid. And I was innocent, but my pleas had fallen on deaf ears...they always have. Sniffing, my eyes ran over the overturned pots, my paint forming puddles of a multitude of colors across the floor. Wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, I crawled over to the pots and started to fix them. I rose, my thin form hunched. _How far have I fallen?_ I asked myself. _When did I turn into this...this monster?_ I sniffed again, and my mind began to go numb as I turned my gaze to the window on the far side of the room.

I approached it, grateful for the stained glass that veiled me from the sunlight. I scowled as I saw Talorta nuzzle Legolas. Damn that stupid horse! I ground my teeth in frustration, and then my eyes bulged as Talorta bowed for him and Legolas swung his lean frame onto my stallion's strong back.

"_No!" _I hissed sharply, whirling and flinging the pot in my hand against one of the murals where it shattered into pieces. The paint had been black, and it ran down the face of the maid on the wall in rivers...resembling poisoned, spidery veins. I ran from the room, knocking one of the doors that led into my grand trophy room clear off its hinges as I scraped my way through the flet until I was outside.

Talorta snorted in alarm as I approached but Legolas...Legolas only met my gaze, and stared.

* * *

She was enraged...far angrier then he had ever seen her. Talorta watched his mistress warily until she stopped just a few feet away, then he lowered his head as if to greet her.

"I shall speak to you later." She growled to the horse and the elven prince cocked his head at this curious behavior. The horse, whose head was now down so low in what almost looked like shame that his muzzle now brushed the leafy earth. She fixed her gaze upon Legolas, her eyes cold and full of fury. "You found your way out, and you have befriended my horse, _princey._" She said softly.

Her voice was flat, though he could see the fire burning within her eyes. The rage at his having succeeded at something, when the only thing she wanted was his failure. "I won't stay here." He said in reply. "I won't wait for death from an insane elf-slayer."

Her eyes glinted. "Insane am I?" She turned to Talorta, stroked his spotted neck. "Perhaps." She whispered a short word to the horse and without warning, the horse bucked once and then slid into an abrupt bow that caught Legolas so off-guard that he tumbled right over the horse's neck and onto the ground. He never had a chance to recover after that for she was on top of him in an instant. Her eyes ablaze and her face contorted in anger.

"_Insane_, dear prince? Am I?"

He struggled from underneath her as she scratched and struck him until he finally stilled when he felt the cold touch of a knife at his throat. He stared up at her, her body straddled on top of his and one of her booted feet digging into the tender flesh of his injured leg.

"I tried to tell _your _kind the truth...but you _elves_ just don't like to hear the truth very much...do you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." He said darkly.

"Don't you? Don't you know how many times I have been captured afer Gilloth was slaughtered? How many times they questioned me? Beat me? Do you really think you were the first who chose to come after me? _Hmm_?" She pressed the knife harder to his throat and he winced as he felt warm blood trickle down the side of his neck. He had never even heard about the tragedy of Gilloth until his return home. Could see really be speaking truth to him? Had his father really searched for her for so long? He wanted to avert her fiery gaze from his own, he could feel his skin prickle as her hatred radiated from her. Then, suddenly, she looked away and he followed her gaze as the two heard a sound that sounded distinctly like an arrow striking the earth...which, indeed, it was.

It was one of her own arrows, he recognized it's design to be similar from those on the walls of that circular room. Intricately decorated with a black shaft, and a message attached to the tip. She narrowed her eyes at the letter and then she glanced at him. Her lip raised into a snarl as she removed the knife from his neck.

"Don't get any ideas." She said sharply as she reached for the arrow, tugged it free from the earth and then removed the message, seemingly unaware that he had his own weapons now, and would not be caught off-guard again. Her eyes flew across the parchment and, in doing so, her sickly, white features took on a hint of green. She shook her head, the scowl returning and she glared frantically at him with blue eyes wide. "_Where is the medallion?"_ She asked lowly.

His brow knit in confusion as he too stood and met her inquiring gaze. It was a silly questionIt was about his neck as it always was, it never left its place on his chest. But there was something in her eyes...a brink between asking a simple question and verging on insanity. His hand inched to his neck with a growing sense of panic..._the medallion was gone_.

He gave a start, looking down frantically and searching the folds of his tunic. "It's gone! The medallion is gone!" He said, now turning to her in a breathless sense of loss. Her stared at her accusingly. "What did you do with it?" He demanded angrily. "Where did you take it.?"

She seemed taken aback, and after she regained her composure she looked at the note. "Foolish elf." She muttered darkly. In a bout of confusion brought on by this transaction, in a startlingly swift movement he lunged forward and snatched the bit of parchment from her grasp. Her face flushed in irritation but she did not try to take it back.

His thoughts whirling inside of him, his eyes flew over the page and he read the shaking handwriting that reminded him sharply of a similar letter he had received from the ghost of Mirkwood, Gwenél.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, I know. I picked a horrible time to stop. But you all have to admit that, that was a LONG chapter. I mean long! Eight typed pages thank you very much! I hope this story is moving on with a plot that most of you are enjoying. The action will be picking up now, as you all may have guessed, and I have about three chapters written in my notebook which I only have to find the time to type up. So be patient! I'll try to get another chapter up sometime early this weekend.

As always my dears, your reviews mean ever so much to me and fuel the fire that gives me the inspiration to write stories such as these. So please, any and all reviews I would love to read! I love hearing from you all. :)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	40. Fire :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**You thought I was Gwenél...and if so, where did this note come from."**

* * *

Chapter Forty

Fire

* * *

_Eryn Lasgalen_

_Saronedhel's Flet_

* * *

The note, though not written in blood as had the first, read thus:

_To the elf-slayer,_

_Debts need to be paid and there are questions in need of answering. You have nothing left here. Come to me. Need further incentive? The medallion of which you have coveted for so long is in my grasp. Do you wish it returned to you? Then meet me at noon in the clearing northwest of Gilloth in four days time. I will be waiting for you._

_- Gwenél_

Legolas looked up at her, but the elf-slayer's face was cold and emotionless as it had been on the first day he had met her. "What does this mean?" He exclaimed irritably.

She stared at him, opened her mouth to answer but instead her eyes widened and she turned to look at the flet. Legolas jerked in surprise as he saw smoke and he turned, startled as Saronedhel let out an unearthly wail. The flet, the beautiful twisting of vines, was wreathed in flames. _Impossible!_ He thought at once. _The flames could not have spread so quickly without us not noticing. _But the flet was already writhing and twisting as the flames bit and tore at it like a wild beast.

There was no time for him to stop her as she darted from her place beside him, up the steps and into the burning structure. Despite his hatred for her, he called her name frantically in hopes that she would emerge from the fiery inferno. Talorta was screaming in fear as he reared but the horse would not move without the direction of his mistress who had disappeared inside. Legolas could not decide whether it was some misplaced form of guilt or deranged form of honor that bade him to go after the elf-slayer as she fled into the burning flet, but he went after her all the same.

Running as fast as he could manage, he lept up the rooted steps, raising his arm over his face to protect himself best he could from the blaze. Her trophy room was already unrecognizable, darting past it as burning branches fell from the ceiling. "Where are you!" He shouted. He heard the wail again, squinted as he fought to see amid the burning walls. Walking nimbly across the floor, he hurried into the room where he had originally seen the murals. She was desperately trying to gather various books and papers into her arms; her face frantic as she reached with shaking hands toward objects which were already burning.

"Saronedhel!" He shouted. Her eyes rose for a fraction of an instant and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the torrent of emotions flooding through the depths of those blue orbs. "We have to get out of here!" He said loudly, approaching her as she scrambled to retrieve more things from the floor.

"NO!" She shouted back, pulling herself away from him. "I WILL NOT LEAVE THEM BEHIND!"

"It's no use!" He shouted, reaching again for her arm which she drew back in terror. Her eyes were reflections of the flames blazing about them and he coughed as smoke clogged his throat. "COME ON!"

A huge branch fell with a crash to the desk before her. She was startled so badly that she dropped everything she had been holding in fright. He gabbed her arm before she could protest and drug her away from the burning branch but she only pulled away once more and stumbled back.

"I WILL NOT LEAVE THEM!" She screamed, her face livid. "YOU CANNOT MAKE ME!"

"You will die here!" He shouted back.

"I should have died a long time ago." She said, more quietly this time. She straightened her shoulders, glaring at him. But before he could say anything more, another branch fell from the ceiling and in falling, landed right on top of Saronedhel and pinned her to the floor. Without thinking he darted to her side. Her body was limp under the branch, burning as it stretched from her shoulders down to the center of her stomach. Letting out a cry of frustration and pain, he shoved the branch off and with his hands smarting; picked up the still figure of the elf-slayer into his arms and carried her swiftly out of the building.

He didn't stop until he was sure they were safe enough distance away from the blaze and then he gently laid her down upon the earth. Her breathing was harsh and shallow as he gingerly touched her forehead. Unconscious, which was a blessed fact, Saronedhel's clothes had burned away in some places, revealing painful burns. He glanced around frantically for some water and, spying a small collection at the base of one of the many star-trees, he began to tear pieces of his soiled tunic into strips and pressed the dampened cloth to as many of the burns as he could.

He worked for hours, ignoring the heat from the fire and the twinges of pain from the burns on his own hands. He had first removed her outer cloak, which she had worn as sort of a long over-coat. Then, working as carefully and quickly as he could he removed what torn remnants of clothing that still managed to cling to her scorched shoulders so that he could better attend to her burns.

The flet had burned to embers by the time she awoke. He had only just finished bandaging her wounds with strips from his tunic when her eyelashes fluttered open revealing clouded eyes. She winced in pain as he finished tying the final bandage and wished with an unnatural sense of regret that he was not trained as expertly in the art of healing as Aragorn was...or had been. This sense of guilt itself was not unnatural, what was unnatural was that he felt it in such a way for the elf-slayer, a woman he had grown to hate so passionately during his stay here.

But he was too tired right then to hate her, could not even conjure anger as she lay there so helpless, still, and confused. He was kneeling, and he turned his gaze towards the burning embers of what remained of Saronedhel's flet. Her tunic had slid partially from her shoulders as she sat up, revealing some minor burns he had missed, but also long scars, older scars, that told tales of beatings and imprisonment. His brows knit together as he turned his gaze from her back to look into her face. Her eyes were depth less voids, her face slack as she gazed in horror at her home.

She tried to rise to her feet, but instead shakily fell forward onto her arms, grimacing as her bandaged burns brushed the ground. The tears had came freely then, welling up in her emotionless blue eyes and pouring down her face in rivers. But they hadn't stopped there. She sobbed, pounding the ground and wailing in grief before finally covering her face wit one hand as her body began to shake. Legolas didn't know what else to do. He walked over to her and knelt at her side. Hesitantly, he draped her cloak over her scarred and bandaged shoulders before finally placing a hand on her back as if to offer comfort in some way.

She surprised him as she sobbed, for she did not tense beneath his touch. Hardly knowing why he wished for her tears to cease, he did not pull away when she finally leaned toward him and embraced him, crying into his shoulder. She cried for a while after that and he rubbed her back soothingly, whispering to her in Quenya that all would be well. He could never recall afterwards when it was exactly when she stopped, but eventually he realized that her tears had slowed and that she was sound asleep against him with her legs stretched out on the forest floor and her head resting upon his chest.

She seemed a different person in sleep, so vulnerable and not nearly half as evil as she presented herself to be. She seemed almost...what as the right word? Perhaps innocent, though he knew it wasn't true. His own attitude towards her was changed even, as he sat there holding her still, slumbering body, he realized he had never really seen her cry.

* * *

He changed her bandages while she slept, readjusted her pitifully torn tunic as best he could and wondered if she would be thus angry with him for seeing so much of her when she was caught unawares. Crushing a few star-flowers as he had so often seen her do, he blew a small amount of the fine powder onto her face so that she slept long and painlessly through the night. His own tunic was in tatters and, finding himself with a want of something better to do, he placed her slumbering form as gently as he could under one of the star-trees and afterwards set about to making a fire. Talorta eventually wandered over to his mistress and kept a faithful vigil at her side while she slept.

Thus far, everything he had planned had gone wrong. And now he was burdened with this unshakeable knowledge that he could not leave her alone like this, not now. So he sat by the fire, staring at the note that had miraculously escaped harm from the fire. Reading and rereading its contents many times over. Another mystery, more questions...would he ever escape them? But he brooded in silence nevertheless, waiting for the elf-slayer to awaken so that he could determine his next course of action.

* * *

I awoke late that next morning, found the burns decorating my shoulders swathed in bandages and haven been laid comfortably beneath one of my gíllorn trees. Talorta was hovering nearby, and he knickered affectionately as I sat up and winced. The first thing that caught my gaze was the smoking ruins of what had been my flet...what used to be home..._my_ home. The next thing I noticed was the small fire that burned fitfully a few feet away from where I laid and the person I least expected to see was sitting beside it, his silver eyes staring into the flames.

I rose awkwardly to my feet, the bandages tugging at my burns as I did so. I patted Talorta, cooing to him softly in elvish before I finally turned to look at the elven prince once more. I knew somehow that he was aware of my having awakened without actually looking at me, maybe I was beginning to know him better then I thought. Calculating quickly, I gingerly touched the bandages covering my shoulder and chest, putting the pieces together as I recalled the events of the previous day.

I remembered the crushing despair that had driven thoughts from my mind and reduced me to tears. I remembered how he had touched me, issuing silent comfort that I had never thought possible to come from him. I remembered embracing him and letting the rise and fall of his chest quiet my sobs and lull me into a dreamless sleep. When was the last time someone had cared enough to quiet my tears? How long had it been since I had wanted that sort of comfort? Maybe it was as he said, maybe I really was insane.

I neared the fire, announcing my presence by discreetly stepping on a twig. I saw his head turn ever so slightly to glance in my direction before he went back to staring at the fire.

"I wanted to thank you." I said quietly. I felt empty inside, drained of all emotions. Just then I couldn't even bring myself to hate him. What had happened to me? I saw him nod in acknowledgment before he drew his tall, lean form up to full height and looked down at me. I could read nothing from his face. His tunic, now in tatters, hung loosely from his broad shoulders, he was clutching something in his left hand.

"Explain this to me." He said, stretching out the palm of his hand to reveal the note I had received just before my flet had burned. I stared at it for a moment, suddenly conscious of how tall he was as he glowered over me. The words from the note slowly flitted back to my mind and I took it from his hand as my feelings of panic and outrage slowly bit at me.

"Someone wants answers...and they will give the medallion back to me if I go to them."

"Yes, I understood that." He said irritably. "I meant the bit about where it was from Gwenél...I do not understand...I thought-"

I saw the look in his eyes and I finished the thought for him. "You thought I was Gwenél...and if so, where did this come from."

He nodded slowly, hesitant about my having caught on so quickly.

"I am Gwenél." I said. "And I think it is obvious to even you that I did not write this letter."

He was silent for a moment, absorbing what I had said. "Then there is no ghost." He said at last, trying to hold my gaze in order to confirm this fact. I felt an old part of myself surface and I smirked.

"Ghosts aren't real. They're fakes...somebody trying to put on a good show...or to hide something."

He turned his head quizzically. "Like you?"

I felt anger well up inside me, but I also felt my weariness at the same time and the emotion died. "Yes...like me."

"So what are you hiding from...if you aren't really a ghost?"

I stared at him, trying to grasp what he had just said to me. I cleared my throat, angry at both him and myself for my inability to answer the question. Time for a change of topic. "In the cellar there were some stored away supples that we might find useful if they weren't all destroyed in the fire. I intend to follow this letter, I no longer care if you accompany me or not."

Which was true, I had held him prisoner for a long time but now...I knew that I no longer held any power over him. And, truth be told, I could no longer recall the reason why I had kept him for so long...or even why I had rescued him in the first place. It didn't matter now...none of it did. I was surprised somehow when he gave me his consent to come along. I asked him his reasons.

"You still have not been given the justice you deserve from those who have suffered from you. I will follow you only to gain answers, which you have refused to give to me. But after that...we shall see what happens."

I shrugged, there was nothing left for me now. All my hard work...all those years...it was gone. Everything had been destroyed with the burning of my flet. Everything left for me to live for was now gone. And as I looked into Legolas' cold, silver eyes...I realized that I had never felt so alone.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, I'm surprised to. I haven't updated this story so quickly before in a LONG time. :) I hope you all enjoyed it though I was slightly dis-heartened by the lack of reviews I received for my last chapter. Thanks to those who did review, but I would enjoy some more reviews in the near future. So please, don't forget me:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	41. Fever :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**I never said... I- the trophies... I never said that I killed them."**

* * *

Chapter Forty-One

Fever

* * *

_Eryn Lasgalen_

_The Ruins of Saronedhel's Flet_

* * *

As she had said, there was a cellar beneath the smoking embers and ashes. Legolas fought a shudder as he gazed around the remains of the once glorious flet. It reminded him of death...the cold efficiency of death. The fire had done its work effectively, it had destroyed the flet completely. When they had first entered the smouldering ruins, he had watched as she walked to the place where her murals had once been. She stood very still for a long time. He didn't rush her...he could wait.

Eventually she turned around again with a deep sigh and saw that he had been watching her. She smirked. "I don't suppose you would understand." She said softly, rubbing irritably at her eyes as if she were afraid of the tears that threatened to spill out. "You've never lost everything as I have." She shook her head, talking to herself now as she regained her composure. "Well, the past is past." She moved from the room back into where all her trophies used to be. She searched the ground intently for a moment before a grim smile appeared on her face and she lifted open a hatch door. She glanced at him, gestured for him to follow, and disappeared within it.

* * *

As said, the cellar had once been stocked full of provisions, but most of them had been destroyed in the fire. After a while, Saronedhel led him to a room on the farthest side of the cellar and he watched as she visibly sighed with relief. After a few moments of scrounging, she produced several small loaves of bread and some salted pork, as well as a block of cheese. These she divided into halves and packed into two bags. She didn't explain the reasoning behind this act but Legolas knew it probably had something to do with her own condition, the thought of the pack rubbing at her wounds, and also the fact that neither of them trusted the other.

And she emerged lastly with a cream colored tunic in one hand and a hunter green vestment in the other to where overtop the tunic and was similar in design to overcoat she herself donned. "You will need them more then I." She said crisply, gesturing to his own tattered clothing. She disappeared into the store room again and he quickly exchanged his own tunic for the other. Something was missing between the two of them now. There was still hatred...and anger. But both of them knew as well that neither held power over the other- they were equals. Readjusting his quiver and bow upon his shoulders, he was reaching to take one of the packs when she emerged again, carrying two jars of a clear, sparkling substance. The jars she put only into her own pack and avoided his questioning gaze as she tied the straps on the pack up. They didn't speak again until they were outside once more.

She grimaced as she hoisted the pack onto her shoulders and then pointed to a clearing where Talorta stood, waiting for them. "We'll ride...it'll go faster that way."

He nodded in agreement, finding no cause to comment. He swung up behind her once she had mounted and she gently squeezed the horse's sides as a command to walk on. Bridle-less and saddle-less, Talorta obeyed without question and only paused when his mistress sent a lingering glance back towards the flet.

"Something wrong?" He asked, more as a reminder not to linger then a real question, following her gaze as he spoke the first two words he had said in hours.

She shook her head, glanced back hesitantly at him. "Just a feeling." She murmured, "That I won't ever see it again."

He didn't reply as a small shudder ran down her spine and, upon finding his center of balance upon Talorta's long back, he rose with ease as she urged the horse forward and they set off at a brisk canter into the depths of the forest.

* * *

Eventually she slowed Talorta to a walk by simply shifting her weight on his back. It was amazing how well-trained the horse was, and also how devoted he was to his mistress. They rode in silence for a long while, his right arm wrapped loosely around her waist to keep his balance and the other resting on his thigh.

Sometimes they would ride through a stray patch of sunlight that escaped from the thick foliage of the star-trees and she would grimace as the light fell upon her face. After an hour or so, the endless line of star-trees ended and they emerged beneath the tall, bare trees of Mirkwood. "The forest of star-trees is more extensive then I thought. How have you been able to keep it hidden so long?" He commented curiously.

She smirked as she looked back at him. "We were riding in circles so you wouldn't be able to find the way back. When this is all over, I can't risk you telling others the location of this place."

"So I'll be still alive?" He said pointedly, referring to her past victims.

She scowled, looked ahead and he felt a small sense of victory well up inside of him at having pricked her. For several minutes she was silent. "I never said I killed them." She said softly.

"What?"

"I never said... I- the trophies... I never said that I killed them."

He turned to look at her skeptically, saw the dull sunlight reflect upon her pale profile. "So what happened to them then? Did they just disappear?"

She glanced back at him, her eyes glinting. "I told you! I tried so many times, but none of you ever listen to the truth."

"The truth? You tell lies, Saronedhel. You _are_ a lie." He said flatly, thinking for a moment he added, "Saronedhel...that isn't your real name...is it?"

She turned away and he scoffed smugly.

"It is my name." She said softly. "A part of my name." He looked at her again, watched her grimace as if the recollection caused her pain. "My name is Victoria." she said. "Victoria."

Legolas didn't answer, was sitting silently as her words shoved his own down his throat. "So...who called you Saronedhel?" He asked quietly.

He saw the tears run down her cheeks, saw her shake her head and rein Talorta in. "We should stop for the night." She said hoarsely. She slid quickly off the horse's back and averted her gaze from Legolas' own inquiring one. "I'll start preparing something for us to eat. You...you go do...something." She fled once her voice broke, visibly shaken, and soon disappeared beneath the trees. He remained on Talorta's back for a few moments longer before he finally dismounted and met the stallion's dark, accusing gaze.

"I hate her...remember?" He said defensively to the peculiar looking horse. Talorta snorted in reply. "Well, it seems any questions I ask only get me more questions instead of answers." The horse said nothing and with a sigh, Legolas glanced around the forest.

"I'd better get a fire going."

* * *

She appeared a short while later, her eyes red and swollen and her clothing is disarray. Though, true to her word, she had indeed prepared something for them to eat. She sat herself across the fire from him, staring into the flames in a distinct attempt to ignore his gaze. Legolas ate in silence as the darkness around them became complete, Talorta munching on some freshly fallen leaves a few feet off. They sat in silence for a very long time, both staring into the flames long after they had finish their meals.

Legolas didn't know why he bothered...but there were so many things he desired to know from her. So many questions still left unanswered. Grudgingly, he started up conversation with the first topic that came to mind. "So...what should I call you then? Victoria or Saronedhel?"

She grimaced as she heard him speak and stared thoughtfully into the fire while she rubbed her aching shoulders. "Victoria is fine." She said simply.

"An unusual name."

She glanced up at him for the first time this evening. "I'm not from around here." She said with a grim smile, then diverted her attention to staring into the flames once more.

"Anything else you want to add to that Victoria? You seem to be a woman of many names. A last name perhaps?"

She hesitated, and he could see the debate written plainly on her features. "Knightengale." She said slowly. "My last name is Knightengale."

He nodded, silently contemplating how the name didn't seem to suit what he knew of her at all. "So...is that another lie?"

She looked at him, her head cocked and her expression cold. "That is the truth. Maybe it's time you learned how to decipher between the two." Her words were sharp, a flare of the elf-slayer he knew back when she was locked in his father's prisons. Defiant...every inch a liar and a murderer.

"How do I decide between the two then, aye? Can you teach me?" He said, mockingly, glancing at her from across the fire.

She nodded slowly. "Very well. Truth is that I have never killed one of your people." She rose to her feet, holding her sword out in front of her. "A lie," She said, drawing closer to him. "Is that I haven't thought about killing you every moment since the first day I met you."

He stared up at her without flinching as she pressed her blade to his throat. She watched him, gauging his reaction for a moment longer for a moment longer before she sheathed her sword and returned to where she had been sitting. "Was that helpful?"

Legolas, still watching her from across the fire, shrugged. "Time will tell." He said nonchalantly.

She muttered something under her breath and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Legolas frowned and peered more closely at her, despite all appearances...she didn't look well...at all. There was a flush to her face and cloudiness in her eyes that he could not attribute to the flames...he had seen such too many times. And though she seemed to have not yet noticed it, her hands were shaking.

"You all right?" He asked gruffly, unsure of why he was inquiring about her if she loathed him so much. Not that the feeling wasn't mutual...but she herself seemed to have only noticed her shaking hands and as she held them up to her face, her eyes widened in surprise. Her voice cracked as she replied,

"I don't know..."

He got up, driven by some ancient form of elvish honor, and knelt by her side. The forest was veiled in darkness now and the only things that could be seen were those only a few feet away. "You look feverish." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder too late before he remembered the burns that were still painful there. She sucked in air sharply and winced as he quickly jerked his hand away. "Forgive me." He murmured softly, then, looking round, he spied a bowl of water he had placed next to the fire. "Come." He said, "I should change your bandages."

She shook her head and spoke through gritted teeth. "I can take care of myself." She said hoarsely, wincing again as pain radiated from her body. Legolas, ignoring her answer, pulled her closer to the fire. Though she had adamant protests at first, they soon died away when he sharply demanded,

"Shall I undress you or would you prefer to do it?"

She was silent after that. She undid the front clasps of her tunic and he helped her to shrug off her soiled overcoat before he untied the remnants of the tunic which he had used for bandages and examined her burns. She was still shaking when he pressed the cool compressed to the blistering wounds and she trembled harder when the cool water began to drip down her shoulders sending shocks of relief and pain all at once through her body. Legolas began with her right shoulder, pressing the damp cloth to the burns there and then traveling down her arm and chest until he stopped where she still held her tunic up, covering her breasts.

He bandaged her up as best he could and then moved on to her left side. Here he paused as he caught sight of an old scar. It was unusual looking...something he had never seen before. He brushed his fingers lightly over it, causing her feverish form to shudder as she turned to glare at him. She followed his gaze until her own eyes rested upon the scar and she scowled.

"Don't bother." She said. "It was from a lifetime ago."

But he did bother, for now he could see just how many scars decorated her shoulders and back. Saronedhel had led a hard life.

"I lived the best I could." She said thickly, answering him as if she had read his thoughts.

He finished bandaging her up quickly, readjusted her tunic as she suddenly became to groggy to do so on her own. She didn't seem to have any strength left to fight him as he laid her out by the fire and placed her jacket over he body like a blanket. But before she had completely drifted off, she managed to look up at him with dull, blue eyes and murmur a 'thank you' before she drifted off into unconsciousness.

* * *

Legolas found it difficult to sleep that night so, for the second evening in a row he chose instead to remain awake and keep watch. Winter was near, he could feel it in the air, could almost smell the snowflakes on the wind. They wouldn't be able to make camp outside many more times after this and he could only hope that Gilloth wasn't too much further away. But what troubled him as he lay there, staring into the canopy above was the fact that he wasn't really quite sure exactly what the lies were above Victoria, and what exactly the truth was after all.

* * *

I awoke feeling nauseated and sore the next morning. My thoughts were all in a jumble and I found it rather difficult to decipher one thing from the other as I fought to return to consciousness. Then I remembered his cool hands brushing against my skin and the blush that had crept onto my cheeks as I had lowered my tunic for him.

I remembered the strange look in his eyes when he saw my scars, how his fingers had traveled over the scar from my gun-shot wound from so many years before. A hard life, he had thought, I had seen it in those silver orbs. Didn't I know it. Usually when I woke up I would think for a moment or two on how I would kill Legolas when this was all over. He knew too much about me, he knew where to find me, and he would send others to look for me. He wanted truth from me and he was getting it.

But these last two mornings had left me confused about him. I knew he hated me because of what he believes I did to Faerlain and to his people. I knew the rage and disgust he felt when he saw me because they mirrored my own feeling about him. And yet, there had been other times he had taken care of me when I had needed it; and I would not soon forget the warmth of his embrace. It had been so long since someone had cared for me that all these new, resulting feelings were confusing and particularly alarming. Had I forgotten so soon what had happened to the people I trusted? No...I would not make that mistake again.

I had told the truth when I had said that I had never killed one of his kind...but it didn't mean that I hadn't killed before.

* * *

She had woken up looking groggy and sore, but she didn't say anything. She didn't utter a single moan as she stumbled to her feet and started to get Talorta ready to go with her hands still shaking. She shook her head when he offered he a chuck of bread and looked slightly green when she mounted Talorta and Legolas jumped up behind her. She didn't urge the horse on faster then a slow, rambling trot for a long time. They stopped once to give Talorta a drink, and then they set off once more.

* * *

"So how long will it take to get there?" He asked her as Talorta plodded along at a slow walk.

"We should arrived sometime tomorrow evening. With any luck, we'll be able to at least get comfortable before we meet our stranger." She replied weakly.

"What makes you think we'll get there early?"

"Haven't you noticed? We've stayed off all the main roads. This is a short-cut, we're by passing the villages and shaving off a day off the normal travel route."

"Yes, I imagine having to explain you to the villagers would be quite a chore anyway." He said in a mocking tone, which earned him nothing but silence, which troubled him. Legolas looked over her shoulder into her face, which looked pale and drawn with beads of sweat dripped down her forehead.

"You are not well." He said carefully, looking more intently at her face.

"So tired..." She murmured. "I'm so tired..."

"What markers are we looking for?" He asked.

"Why?"

"Just tell me, I'll wake you up when we get to it." He was surprised that she didn't argue and her behavior only confirmed his suspicions as to how sick she really was. "Keep going southeast...we should meet up with the main road." She said, straining her neck to look back at him and he held her look with a firm glance.

"Sleep...you need it."

She stared at him for a moment longer, then turned round and relaxed her lean body against his chest. She sighed as she closed her eyes, still shaking, and she was asleep within moments. Her breathing was labored as she slept silently against him. Shaking his head at her foolishness, he gently took the reins from her relaxed grasp and encircled his arm more tightly about her waist. Realizing that they still had a ways to go, he was left alone with his thoughts, the dull sound of Talorta's hooves striking the earth, and the strange feeling of the elf-slayer sleeping soundly against him.

* * *

**A/N:** I am on a roll! I'm just whipping out these chapters! I'm going to be away for the weekend but in that time I'll try to type out another chapter to have up by Tuesday or Wednesday. But just incase I don't get the chance...Happy Valentine's Day! And I hope you are enjoying my story. I didn't particularly like the way this chapter was written...it sounded awkward at times to me...ah...well, you can't win them all. Thank you so much for your reviews and I look forward to getting more! And thanks a million to Kiann for betaing. :)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	42. The Village :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**When you have lived as long as I have, death's cold touch nearly feels like a welcoming embrace."**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Two

The Village

* * *

I awoke to a roaring fire and the distinct smell of fresh bread and roasting, salted pork that was perhaps not so fresh. I was cold despite the warmth of the fire and I found that I lacked the strength or will to move. Wow. I felt like crap. No...lower then crap. I felt like shit. I shivered and closed my eyes once more. _The clearing...we had to get to the clearing..._

"Shhh..." Said a voice suddenly. I tensed, who was it that would try to care for me? Who had ever cared? "Lie easy, Victoria, rest."

I recognized the firm, masculine voice of the elven prince as I opened my eyes and fought to remain conscious. His hand was on my brow, his silver eyes looking down into mine. "You've have a rough night." He said, and I wished then that I wasn't so confused about him. He was toying with my emotions, with everything that had kept me alive for so long, everything that was now failing me. And I realized that now, I was completely at his mercy...just as he had been in mine.

_Damn him!_ How I hated him as I looked up into his expressionless face. And at the same time...how could I hate him? We had come so far now...I felt myself grow suddenly weary as I thought about Legolas and I also realized that I think I had just grown tired of hating him. I closed my eyes in exhaustion and I felt a cool cloth on my forehead.

"We should leave." I said softly. "To get there by nightfall."

I heard him dip the cloth into water and I felt him place it again on my forehead. "And just how do you propose we do that?" He asked at last.

I struggled to keep my voice even and loud enough for him to hear as I answered. "Did you find the road?"

"Yes."

"We just have to follow it now. With luck we'll get to Gilloth by dusk."

I heard him grunt and I felt the cloth move down as he began to gently press it against my neck. "Don't you mean what is left of Gilloth?" He asked quietly.

I forced my eyes open once more and I saw the harsh, accusing glare that I had grown accustomed to from so many, but nevertheless despised all the more. And it was suddenly important for him to understand that I hadn't killed them and that I wasn't a murderer. But I knew, as always, that my pleas would fall on deaf ears. I sighed, firming my resolve to solve the mystery of Gwenél and prove, somehow, once and for all my innocence- or let Legolas destroy me in the process.

"You hate me so much that you refuse to listen to the words that I speak to you." I said weakly. "Why bother to keep me alive? Why not leave me here to die?"

His face, emotionless as always, made no movement from a moment or two. But then his eyes flickered with some strange emotion that I had never seen before and he answered crisply, "Perhaps for the same reason that you saved me. You wanted something from me...didn't you?" To this accusation I had no answer and he smiled grimly. "I am growing weary of not knowing, Victoria. I want answers, answers you have thus far refused to give me. I do not know what you are seeking from me, but presently, it is in both our interests to survive this."

He was clever. Somehow, after everything that I had been through, I had assumed that the prince wasn't all too bright. He was more observant then I once thought. I nodded, meeting his eyes to show that I understood.

And in that quick glance that passed between us, I knew that I would never be able to kill Legolas, son of Thranduil...never.

* * *

She was silent for a while after this confrontation and he continued to press the cool compresses to her forehead, neck, and shoulders. She wasn't doing well, but he knew there was no going back now. Eventually her eyes opened again and with a look of fresh determination, she struggled to pull herself upright. Legolas shot out a steadying hand to guide her weak body into a sitting position as he already knew that it would be fruitless to try and stop her.

"We should go." She said breathlessly when she was finally sitting up.

"I won't argue with you." He began. "But do you plan to meet our stranger when you are too weak to even stand?"

She glanced back at him warily, pushing a stray lock of her brown hair behind her ear. "I don't see what other choice I have." She answered quietly. "If this stranger wants to kill me, that I am only helping her out."

Legolas shook his head. "Do you not even care anymore?"

She cocked her head, a movement that had become familiar when she was answering a question or thinking on something. "When you have lived as long as I have, death's cold touch feels more like a welcoming embrace. Think about it. If you haven't noticed, I have very little to lose."

"Your life means so little to you?" He asked curiously.

"My life should have ended a long time ago." She whispered in reply.

Images of her burning flet flickered briefly in his mind, recollections of her sobs as she wept in his arms. Was it insanity that drove her? Or was she really telling him the truth? Unfortunately for her, this second option was an impossibility. In his mind, the elf-slayer had to be on the verge of insanity. Visibly sighing, he stood and held out his hand. "Since there is no dissuading you then we'd best be on our way." Looking up first into his face and then into his eyes and then glancing at his hand, she took it and struggled to stand on her own before he finally slid his arms under her shoulders and around her waist and hoisted her up.

Already breathless from exhaustion, Victoria was limp in his arms as he pushed her onto the waiting form of Talorta, who had been standing next to Victoria's bed with his ears flicking back and forth. Legolas gathered up their meager belongings, put out the fire, then mounted behind Victoria who was now shaking with the effort of holding herself upright on Talorta for so long. She relaxed as he drew closer to her, too weary to put up a fight as she closed her eyes and gestured weakly to the road ahead.

"Follow it. We should be there by nightfall."

"You know how many times you've told me that?" He asked pointedly. He thought he saw a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she leaned against he and he slid his arm about her waist.

"Just trying to get the point across." She replied.

"You really are insane...you know that right?"

But she had already drifted off to sleep- just as the snow began to fall.

* * *

The funny thing about star-trees is that they will shine and twinkle even in the heaviest of snows. The leaves never really fall and the buds left behind all twinkle like fireflies on a warm, summer night. The star-trees start to appear about a half-mile outside of the village...or what used to be the village, I remembered that much. It all came back to me in a rush of loss and sorrow when I woke up and saw the first of them, twinkling beneath the setting sun. Legolas had covered me with a blanket, and I shuddered and jerked violently as Talorta walked beneath those trees. I felt Legolas' grip around me tighten.

"Easy." He hissed in my ear, and I glanced back groggily...feeling a strange urge to explain.

"The star-trees begin here...see how they glitter? We're only a short way from the village." I said in a hurried, breathless voice.

"Or what's left of the village you mean." He said darkly.

I bit back a sharp retort as my old anger flooded my senses, instead posing a new question which had only just occurred to me. "What did they do with them? The bodies I mean?" I didn't look at him, but I could sense his slight surprise at this question.

"Buried them as far as I know."

I glared back at him accusingly. "As far as you know?"

"I've been away fighting in the war and rebuilding peace after its end." He replied tersely. "I only just returned home a few months ago."

I didn't reply, for, just then, we had entered the village. I swear, if Legolas hadn't been holding onto me I would have fainted dead away. Everything, every flet, even the fountain in the center of the village was still standing. That was what was so eerie about it. If I had only heard voices I would have thought things had never changed. The flets, though vastly in disarray and falling into ruin in some places, were silent testimonies as to what had happened here, what could never be changed. Talorta stopped when we reached the village square, and just a little to the left I could see the place where I had been presented...so many years ago. I could see Mirlaic's smiling face, frozen in time, and I could hear the applause of the villagers as I was welcomed into their midst. I could see Elenown, Ana, and little Turwithiel, my namesake. I could see Araviniel, clapping louder then all the rest- my best and dearest friend.

I had become a part of them, only now to have been left alone. And now all of them were gone. Legolas uttered not single word as I looked round the village, but I could feel his anger radiating from his body like flames. He wouldn't understand...none of them would ever understand...none of them ever had.

"Let's go." I said aloud, more to Talorta then to the raging prince behind me. Talorta started to walk on hesitantly, did he remember the bodies too? Could he see the blood lining the streets as I did now?

We took the eastern road from the village square which led out to the clearing where the ghost would be waiting for me. And there...just on the edges of town...was were I saw them. The graves.

They stretched from where the flets ended all the way back into the trees. Nameless, white plaques, all reminders of the innocence that had been slaughtered here. Lining the road, the graves continued, and I started shaking as Talorta walked on until he stopped. I looked about in confusion, wondering at the cause of his abrupt halt. And then I understood. Some of the plaques had names engraved on them and one, which was marked beneath the awes of a glittering star-tree, was a name with a face I could remember as well as if it had been yesterday.

I slid shakily from Talorta's back and Legolas did not try to stop me. I sank to my knees beside the plaque, and I cried. For the name engraved upon it read:

_Mirlaic_

_Healer and Friend_

* * *

**A/N: **And here is another chapter. :) I'm moving in two days so I won't have internet for a week or two, which means no updates until my parents get everything all settled in. So I hope most of you will be satisfied with this chapter until I do get to update once more, and I heartily thank everyone for their reviews which had enlightened me to update so quickly once more! And I thank Kiann, as always, for betaing:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	43. The Satchel :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**Tell me you haven't died Faerlain. Tell me you still love me."**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Three 

The Satchel

* * *

She was crying again...why did she always have to cry? Legolas watched indifferently as she sobbed by one of the many graves and he was struck again with the question– why had she done it? What had driven her to such extremes? It was nearly dark now and the snow was starting to pick up. She was shaking again...she was still very ill. He looked into the depths of the forest and with a sigh of resignation he knew from experience that they would find no one, ghost or not, at this stage. 

He dismounted and bid the stallion to follow as he approached the grave under the star-tree. "We need to go." He said to her as he laid his hand on her shoulder. Roused, she turned to him in alarm, tears streaming down her gaunt cheeks, which were still flushed with the tell-tale signs of fever. "Come, we'll move on tomorrow."

She cast a longing gaze back at the grave and, upon wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she stood with slight assistance from himself as her weak limbs began to shake. "We need to find shelter." She said once he had mounted Talorta and seated himself behind her. "Have any ideas?" She continued, sniffling.

Legolas glanced around the forest, he was unfamiliar with the area and the thought of scouting out a place for them to sleep, in the dark, with an imposing snow storm approaching, did not sound all together inviting. His eyes stopped their wanderings as he caught sight of the abandoned flets, still standing in the rotting remains of the village. "That'll do." He said quietly, nodding in the direction of the village. He saw her eyes widen and she shook her head violently.

"Why not?"

"I haven't been inside those flets since...since..."

"Since you killed them?" He asked pointedly.

She half-turned to look at him and met his gaze. "I didn't kill them."

"Then staying in one of these flets shouldn't bother you." He replied coolly, gaging her emotions as she struggled with the decision before resigned acceptance settled upon her face. "Glad that's settled." He murmured. Using his legs to turn Talorta back towards the village, he could feel her start to shake against him and he saw her grip on Talorta's mane slacken.

"Any suggestions as to where we should stay?" He asked.

* * *

I wondered how he could be so cruel and I trembled weakly against him, I didn't have the strength to retort as I realized he had probably thought the same about me hundreds of times over. I tried not to look around too much, for then I would start to see bodies on the ground or ghosts in the doorways. Memories...things I wanted so much to forget but found myself unable to do so. He didn't even know...he didn't believe me. None of them ever had. 

And it was then that I spied through the darkness and the snow which chilled me to the bone, a place I thought that after everything that had happened and everything I had done, would simply cease to exist...and yet there it was. _Mirlaic's flet_. Ignoring Legolas' probing eyes, I pushed Talorta a little faster until we were at the doorstep. I looked up at Legolas,

"This is the one." I whispered softly, sliding off Talorta's back before the prince could ask more questions. But as I stumbled up the steps I could hear him limp hurriedly after me.

"What is this place?" He asked.

I was silent for a moment as my finger tips brushed the cool metal of the door handle, thinking of the right answer to this question. A sob caught in my throat as I blinked hard in an effort to reply,

"Home." I said, my voice wavering as I glanced back at him.

"_Home_."

* * *

I swung the door open and was surprised, despite everything, to see leaves strewn about on the floor. Mirlaic had always kept an impeccably orderly home, so to see the front doorway in such disarray was a reminder that Mirlaic would not be reappearing around the next corner, worried about me and wondering where I had been all this time. 

I stepped inside, not bothering to see whether or not Legolas followed. The chairs were still there and I remembered when Cudir had come to thank me for helping to deliver little Turwithiel. The windows were open in the kitchen, Mirlaic had always liked to work with the windows open. Snow had begun to pile up on the window sills and I hurried over, feeling suddenly faint, pushing them shut and fastening them with a soft click. Mirlaic's herbs were scattered across the table and her shelves looked as if she had been pulling things hurriedly off of them without putting any back. Jars lay open, powders spilt.

"She worked here." I said quietly.

I saw Legolas look up at me out of the corner of my eye. I turned round, smiled as I saw the table. "We used to eat here, Mirlaic and I." I stumbled again, slamming down hard onto the dully polished wood of the table before me. I felt Legolas take a firm hold on my arm.

"You should rest, you are not well."

But I wasn't listening to him. "I used to ground star-flowers there...and I watched Mirlaic sew my fall festival gown here by the fire." I was babbling...I knew I was babbling...I just couldn't help it. All the memories, all the ghosts clamoring to be recollected as I stood in that house, remembering. I could almost see her there, mixing herbs, the sunlight catching her face as she smiled at me while I walked in. "Mirlaic." I whispered. "_Mirlaic."_ My knees buckled and I felt myself fall, felt to hands catch me around my waist before I could hit the ground.

"So you lived here...then where did you used to sleep?"

I looked up at him, I knew he didn't believe me...even now. I could hear it in his words. Some things will never change I suppose. Maybe I would be a murderer forever. Maybe I would never be forgiven. I felt so tired...and incredibly cold all of a sudden. I shivered and I tried to stand again and, after a short struggle, Legolas lifted me up without a word and headed towards the door to which I had pointed.

I was asleep before my head even hit the musty pillows. And, for an instant, I could pretend that nothing had ever changed and that Mirlaic would be waking me up for breakfast at dawn.

* * *

She had surprised him again, he would admit it. He thought he'd had a proof at last that she really had murdered the villagers when he saw that the flets had been left unspoiled. Orcs would have ravaged the homes and set fire to them. Victoria...well...he wasn't really sure what Victoria would have done. 

What he hadn't expected however, was for her to know one of the flets and to call it 'home'At first he'd labeled her actions as a charade, maybe she was really still trying to seem innocent to get off her crime guilt-free. But there were still so many unanswered questions...so many things he desired to know. He slept for an hour or two in a dusty chair outside her room, he could hear her muttering when he awoke.

It was dark out now. He lit a fire in the hearth which was located just across the room. He felt an odd sort of protectiveness about her...whether it was through his own personal gain or by the simple fact that he was worried about her, he didn't end up fighting the urge to glance once more time upon her sleeping form and, gliding silently across the floor, he opened her door.

He had closed the windows in here earlier once he had laid her down. Vines had started to grown inside, creeping in down the window sills, over the furniture and along the floor. All the other furniture besides the bed was a mess, covered in leaves or vines and occasionally patches of moss. She was still feverish, and he fought the desire to change her bandages again. That would only wake her up and he needed silence right now, he needed her to sleep. He lowered himself into a chair beside her bed and gently laid his hand upon her forehead. Her skin was warm beneath his fingers and her murmurings quieted and she squirmed a little before she spoke again.

"I don't feel well Mirlaic." She whispered.

He removed his hand with a jerk when she spoke coherently, but after a few more moments he deduced that she was still sleeping.

"I wasn't able to go to the river today or pick star-flowers for you. Won't you make me better? You always do." The she smiled, even as sweat began to form on her brow. "Yes. ...I will miss Faerlain. He's been giving me lessons you know...under the star-trees."

Legolas started at the mention of his friend's name and wondered once again how the elf-slayer could have possibly known him.

"He's going away soon...off to fight on the borders. I'm so frightened I won't see him again, Mirlaic. Is it wrong to wish he had never left at all? Oh...but maybe I've been dreaming...it's all blurred in my mind somehow..."

He waited in silence for her delirium to pass, and he thought for a moment it had when she fell silent. He got up and pumped some water into a basin from the kitchen, found a rag among the debris, and re-entered the room, sitting again in the chair. He dipped the cloth into the water and began to gently bathe her forehead. She was very ill. He could recall seeing Aragorn like this before...on a hunting trip when the human had gotten himself hurt. He smiled, _foolish mortal. _He frowned as his thoughts lingered on his friend. He couldn't be dead...he just _couldn't _be. The orc must have lied...the Valar wouldn't have been so cruel.

_But did they not take your mother...and brother?_ He thought to himself silently. _Why not the human as well?_

He shook his head, stealing his resolve not to think on that again, though he couldn't manage to shake the feeling of foreboding whenever the ranger's name came to mind. He went to bathe her face again after he brought himself back to the present when he realized with a jolt that she was awake now. Her eyes were open, but the icy blue depths were clouded with fever. She was smiling at him.

"You came to see me?" She asked softly, and it took a moment for him to answer when he finally realized that she was talking to him. Her smile was unnerving...so unnatural to her stern features.

"Um...yes?"

"You were always so thoughtful..." Her face grew troubled. "I'm sorry I missed our lessons by the stream...I don't feel very well."

He didn't answer for he had no idea as to what to say.

"You are angry with me then?" She asked.

"No...no." He said for lack of anything better. She must still be dreaming..._what lessons?_

"They said you went off to the border...they said you died there." She said sleepily. "Tell me you haven't died Faerlain. Tell me you still love me."

Legolas' eyes widened in surprise and he found that he lacked the breath to answer. _Tell me you still love me... _He was spared an answer however when he noticed that her breathing had deepened and she was asleep once more. _Tell me you still love me... tell me..._

She had loved Faerlain? No...that was impossible. He refused to even think on it. She had killed him, she _must_ have. There was no other exploration for it. She had, had the medallion.

_...tell me..._

_...she must have..._

_...she must have..._

_I need to clear my head. _He thought to himself as he rose shakily to his feet. She was sleeping soundly now, and he had seen some crushed star-flower powder on one of the shelves in the kitchen. Retrieving it, he blew some onto her face, relieved with the knowledge that there would be no more muttering until she awoke...and then he went back to his chair by the fire and he slept.

_...tell me you still love me..._

* * *

I woke up with a pounding headache and a sore throat. I didn't want to get up at all and I half expected Mirlaic to come in, give me some tea, and tell me to go back to sleep. But then I remembered that she wouldn't...because Mirlaic was dead. I sat up, grimacing, and held a hand to my forehead, messaging my temples. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so ill...oh yes...when I had met Araviniel. Even when I had been found by the old man in the forest I hadn't felt like this...and I had, had an arrow in my side then. This was something much different. Only that time, after the forest, Mirlaic had been here to make everything better...and Faerlain had come to see me. 

This time...I knew I was on my own. I glanced around the room and realized that I wasn't surprised to see it in decay. This place represented an old part of my life...a past I couldn't return to, a past I no longer deserved. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and swayed as I rose to my feet. What did Mirlaic used to give me when I had headaches? I was still feverish and rather weak...but I wasn't going to hang around and wait for Legolas so I could beg him to help me.

I glanced out the window as I thought...admitting to myself reluctantly that Legolas was right in bringing us here...no matter how I felt about returning. I walked drunkenly through the doorway into the main room. Legolas was sound asleep by the fire, which was crackling heartily. I found a strange fondness seep into my thoughts for him. Despite everything, the animosity and the differences between us, he had taken care of me...like I mattered. He looked carefree while he slept...and I wondered if it was only me that had brought such tension into his princely features whenever he was conscious.

It was still cloudy out and I realized that we would be getting more snow by nightfall. I walked carefully to the kitchen and, with trembling hands, I picked up the remaining jars that contained a few herbs that I recognized, their names drifting hazily into my mind. _Now for some tea..._

* * *

He didn't remember falling back asleep once he had added wood to the fire. But as he blinked himself awake he was surprised to see Victoria up and about. She stumbled a bit and swayed and he heard a soft clinking from whatever she was doing. He sat up straight, watching her back before she turned to him, carrying a mug in each hand. She didn't smile or say much of anything as she walked over and sank wearily into a chair opposite of him. 

"Here." She said, handing him one of the mugs. He took it cautiously into his hand and looked closely into the murky contents.

"What is it?"

"Tea." She answered, sipping the steaming liquid and closing her eyes appreciatively. "There were a few usable herbs left, one or two good for easing sickness." She opened her eyes and nodded towards his untouched mug. "I don't suppose you need it as much as I, but it tastes wonderful."

Staring at it still, he looked up when he saw a grim smile appear on her pale face.

"I didn't poison it if that's what you were wondering."

He shook his head and brought the cup to his lips. "I wasn't." The hot liquid burned him momentarily as it rushed down his throat, but he found it warmed his aching limbs considerably.

"Good?" She asked, looking at him smugly. He nodded, took another sip.

"Yes."

The drank in silence and he glanced outside. "Late morning." She said. "We have a few hours before noon."

"About two to be exact." He murmured, gazing at the clouded sky.

"Where's Talorta?" She asked, ignoring his comment and sinking back into the chair.

"He found his way into a stable out back- it was well stocked with hay...he should be fine for a while."

She nodded, closing her eyes and pressing her free hand to her forehead.

"How do you feel?" He asked gruffly.

"I've been better." She replied. "Much. But I think it'll pass in a few days."

He nodded wordlessly.

"Wake me up in an hour...all right?" She asked softly, setting down the mug and already nearly falling back asleep. He didn't answer, but she already knew what it would be.

* * *

He spent the hour wandering about the flet, which had obviously belonged to a healer at one time or another. The herbs were a silent testimony to that. There was another bedroom off the kitchen, it had only one, closed window which kept any vegetation from entering it. There was a small bed against one wall, and a chair by the window. A small chest was located at the bottom of the bed and a small dusty mirror hung on another one of the walls...lastly, there was a small writing desk under the mirror. There were some papers scattered across it and he sat in a chair beside it and curiously started to shuffle through them. 

Most were notes, not really meaning anything except to their writer, really just lists. They were all written in Sindarin, which was common enough. But it was what he found next that caught his eye, it was a letter that looked as though it had been hastily sealed for the wax was smeared across it. Written on the front in the common tongue were for words: _To my darling Victoria_.

He frowned as he brought the letter closer to his face. That couldn't be right...why would someone have taken the time, an elf no less, to write a letter in the common tongue to a person whose name was so unusual? It was obvious that the letter had remained untouched for years now- so it couldn't have been Saronedhel trying to pull a prank. No...he moved to open it when he suddenly heard her calling his name. He hurriedly placed the letter in a pocket within the folds of his tunic, and upon standing, he strode gracefully from the room.

She was standing now, and looked as though she was preparing to go outside. She looked up at him as she finished tying a cloak around her shoulders. "I was wondering where you were...you missed my wake-up call." When he didn't answer she continued, "We should be going. If we get to the clearing a bit early we might be able to get the upper hand on this whole situation." She glanced at him again. "There's come extra cloaks in that chest by the door if you're cold."

He found this last sentence slightly amusing and he cocked his head quizzically, suppressing a grin. She shook her head as she remembered something. "I forgot." She grumbled darkly. "You elves don't really get cold do you?"

"Call it a blessing." He replied.

"Throw any snowballs at me and I'll pummel you."

He stared at her curiously in surprise, was this humor coming from the elf-slayer? But she wasn't looking at him anymore. Pulling her hood over her head, she crossed her arms and braced herself for the cold as she opened the door. Legolas, coming up swiftly behind her, followed her outside and then closed the door behind them.

* * *

I found Talorta out in the stables, dozing peacefully out in his old stall. The stable had been large enough to house more then just one horse, but we had never ended up getting Talorta any company- I think he preferred to be by himself. After all, as I had once told Legolas, we weren't really from around here...neither of us _really_ belonged in this place...no matter how beautiful it had once been. 

The wind was bitingly cold and it snapped at my exposed skin as I trudged weakly through the snow. I leaned on the doorway of the building as I glanced inside, gathering my strength and catching my breath before I roused Talorta and led him outside. I was already tired and I'd hardly been outside for more then half an hour. Legolas was waiting for me a little ways from the stable. He stood lightly atop the snow I was forced to trudge through and his body was held up tall and straight, seemingly unaffected by the cold– how I hated the elves for that.

I stopped a few feet away from him, leaning hard on Talorta and breathing deeply and I struggled to get air into my lungs. He neared me and I found myself secretly envious that he was in such good health and able to walk so gracefully over the snow due simply to his race.

"You are still too weak." He muttered as he came to my side.

"Nothing that can be done about that now." I replied, moving to mount Talorta. He caught my wrist and I turned to him inquiringly.

"There is no point in killing yourself before we even get to meet this stranger." He said softly.

I felt suspicion flare up inside of me, clouding my senses at this statement. "Since when have you cared?"

I saw his face flush with anger as he shot back, "Since now."

It was with some surprise that he lifted me onto Talorta's back and swung up behind me. I turned to look at him accusingly. "You know something." I said.

He shrugged, meeting my gaze. "Come on, we should go." He said simply and with a sharp command he got Talorta to walk towards the forest without ever having touched my horse's sides. He acted as though nothing had changed, but I knew that, somehow, the tables had indeed changed. For better or for worse had yet to be seen.

* * *

Yes, he did know something. He knew that Victoria had been known by the villagers here, and that something had gone amiss during her stay. She was still so weak, he recalled how mortals should be in bed for weeks when they were as ill as she...but there would be no rest for either of them now...the end was too near. The spotted stallion walked heavily through the snow, dragging his feet as he stumbled on. He could feel her shift once in a while to direct the horse with her legs towards the forest. He could feel her shiver as the wind picked up, and he felt her stiffen as they passed the graves of the villagers. 

They rode in silence until she whispered a command to the stallion and he slowed. Legolas looked up her shoulder at what lay ahead. "We're here." She said softly to him.

The clearing, as he knew it to be, was nearly uncovered by the snow. Tall trees towered above them, the wind had died down in here as well. "We're early." He said, glancing upward and gaging the time by the position of the sun.

"Let's explore." She replied.

He dismounted first and stood to the side at Talorta's head as she followed the movement, knowing all to well that she wanted to keep her distance from him now. She seemed relieved by the lack of snow and she started walking out further into the clearing. It was large, more like a field then anything else. She tilted her head to look up into the sky, breathing deeply while he occupied himself by otherwise searching the ground. The clearing was located close tot he borders of Eryn Lasgalen, he knew that much. He pulled a map of his country from somewhere deep inside his memory. He had been searching for Gwenél in the North...they must have been traveling South in order to get here...though he knew this meant very little to him because, for all he knew of these areas of the forest, Victoria could have ridden in circles to throw him off her tracks.

He started to search the ground for any signs of tracks, patting the stallion's neck before he moved on. They had passed a few star-trees on they're way out here, but then the trees had started to get sparse by the time they had reached the clearing. There was one, however, a little ways into the woods that sparkled dully in the dim light of the forest. Glancing over his shoulder, he noted that she was still standing, looking up into the sky and would probably still be able to see him if he wandered off a bit.

This having been decided, he started off towards the tree with his senses on high alert. His leg was a bit troublesome, but being nearly completely healed, he was able to walk more or less soundlessly through the underbrush. He stopped before he reached the tree, looking curiously at the fallen flowers, sparkling faintly beneath their pale covering of snow. He bent down, reaching out to take one into his hand. The flower was frozen and had started to wilt- though by all appearances it looked as though its leaves had fallen only a short time before. He gently ran his fingertips over the flower, then placed it gently within the pockets in his coat. He looked around, there were no signs of life in the forest now besides the star-flowers that sparkled so faintly through the dreariness of winter.

He looked again at the ground before he started to rise...but wait...he stopped, knelt again. There was something that looked curiously like a leather strap lying half buried beneath the fallen flowers. Carefully he grasped the strap with one hand, trying to pull it free from the earth and dusting it off as he did so. It was frozen, he pulled again, reaching out with his other hand to get a better grasp. He tugged the handle free, his silver eyes studying his newly discovered artifact and his knotted, blond hair falling into his face.

It was a satchel, still frozen from the snow and covered with bits of earth in some places, but it was a leather satchel just the same and it looked as though it had been there for a very long time. He gently lifted the front flap, peering inside and was surprised to see a number of old parchments still in good condition despite where they had lain for so long. He carefully reached inside, discovering a writing utensil, and then a stick of charcoal- like the sort you would use for drawing. And he found a withered star-flower that crumbled into fine powder in his hand. And, lastly, he pulled out the parchment themselves.

They were not letters as he had first guessed, but neither were they blank. They were drawings, lots and lots of drawings. He started to shuffle through them before he took note of the creator's signature in the left-hand corner which made him freeze. For, in a bold, flowing hand the name read:

_Victoria Knightengale_

* * *

Legolas wandered off, I could see him crouched by an old star-tree a little ways into the forest. I shrugged him off as I looked around. The headache I had woken up with this morning was back and I wished for nothing more just then to sleep. I spied a log a short ways from where I stood and I made for it, sitting with a sigh of contentment and I started to rub my temples. I couldn't stand much more of this...the illness, the travel, just being near to the elf-prince was starting to drive me insane. 

I remembered Araviniel suddenly as I sat there...I had not thought of her in a long time. I remembered her telling me of her fondness for him, for Legolas. I remembered her telling me about the presentation festivals held every spring at the palace. _She must not have known him, _I thought to myselfShe must not have known the Legolas that I knew now. The cold, bitter Legolas which haunted my dreams, my memories, and my waking reality. A reality in which he wanted nothing more then my death.

That was the Legolas that I knew. I remembered my vow- a vow I made never to kill him. And I knew I would keep it, I couldn't kill him now. And then I remembered how he had held me when I cried, I remembered his hands cooling my body as I burned with fever, I remembered the concern in his eyes when he saw me sway weakly on legs that refused to hold me. And I remembered his arms holding me tight and the sound of him breathing as I fell asleep against his chest. Was that the Legolas Araviniel had fallen in love with? Was that the Legolas everyone else had known? What would that make me then? I knew I was no longer the woman Faerlain had known.

Would he had loved me now if he had survived? Wold he had loved the Victoria I had become? The elf-slayer? I shook my head to rid myself of such thoughts, I would not think on this now. I was about to meet the 'ghost' who had taken my alias and burned my home to smoldering ashes. Would I get the medallion back? Would I keep it for myself this time around?

_Faerlain...why did you leave me Faerlain?_ I cried silently with bitter tears. _Why?_

* * *

He stared in shock at the pictures, there were a series of them, all images of his people. But there was one that stood out from all the others that make him nearly breathless as he stared. It was one of his friend, of Faerlain. He was laughing, it was one of the only drawing in color, and there was a note written on the back...written in his own hand. And it was addressed to Victoria.

* * *

I heard him approaching long before he was at my side. He was angry about something..._really_ angry. I had been kneeling, picking up star-flowers I found laying about and placing them carefully into my pockets. I stood as he approached, watched him as he stormed through the underbrush with a curious expression on my face. 

"Something wrong?" I asked when he was closer- only he didn't stop. He grabbed me by the shoulders, his hands gripping me hard until pain shot through my arms, then he started to shake me with something brown and soiled in one hand and a piece of parchment in the other.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW HIM?" He demanded angrily.

Dazed, I could only stare at him in surprise as he shook me again, his fingers digging into my skin.

"_How did you know him?"_ He repeated.

"Know who?" I gasped weakly, suddenly very afraid of this Legolas before me, of the fire in his eyes.

"Faerlain." He said darkly. "How did you know him? How did you know _Faerlain_?"

He held out the parchment, releasing his hold on me and demanding an answer with his eyes. I felt my breath steal away as I looked at the parchment...it was impossible. My mind flew to the last time I had seen that picture, I had smiled when I saw it...it had been after the Spring Festival. He had set a note beside it...a note I later attached to the back of the picture that I had dreamily sketched when I had spent an afternoon thinking of him. I opened my mouth to answer Legolas when instead I suddenly froze. I turned to gaze at the other side of the clearing, the parchment clutched tightly in my hand.

There was someone at the edge of the clearing...a little girl who was staring directly at me with a cold, calculating stare. I felt my heart stop beating as I looked at her, my legs weakening as it suddenly dawned on me had I had seen her before.

"_Ana?"_

* * *

**A/N: **Woho! I got my internet hooked up sooner then I realized so I imagine seeing this update in your inboxes was a pleasant surprised. Yes, I have moved to a gorgeous home with plenty of land for my horses, on Wednesday it will be my first official week living here. Wow...that's tomorrow isn' it? I have to say that I am over whelmed by all the support I've received for this story, and I've reached my goal, **400 HITS! YES! A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED ME TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL! **At this rate, who knows? Maybe I'll hit 500 reviews...one can dream can't they:) 

Oh, and an important little **!NOTE: **In case some of you have forgotten about the Satchel, remember how Victoria used to draw pictures of the villagers in some of the earlier chapters? Well, that one day when Ana went missing and she had to battle a big ferocious orc she lost her satchel...Legolas just found it. Just thought I should remind people in case they forgot. :) **!END NOTE!**

Thanks a million to everyone who read and most especially to those who reviewed this and previous chapters and a HUGE thank you to my beta, Kiann. Without whom I would be lost. :)

And, before I let you go, I have a little contest for you. I've been challenging myself with trying to think of really excellent lines to put into my stories and I want to know how I've been doing. In your reviews, please tell me what lines you liked! I really enjoy finding out, it makes me so happy. :)

The next chapter should be up by this weekend so look out for it:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	44. Little Ana :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**They were _dead_ Ana. All of them. Mirlaic was dead..._you_ were dead."**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Four 

Little Ana

* * *

I felt Legolas slowly let go of my arm, I saw him follow my stunned gaze. _Oh please...don't let go of me._ I could feel my resolve slipping away as I stood there, I swayed and I felt him steady my body again. 

"_Do not show your weakness._" He hissed in my ear and then gave me a forceful push forward.

I stumbled, straightening once I regained my footing. Legolas didn't know Ana. Legolas hadn't been in the village when all that had remained had been bodies. Ana was suppose to be _dead. _She looked different...older, much older then the last time I had seen her. She looked nearly sixteen...but that was impossible- elves do not age that quickly do they? All these useless thoughts swirled in my mind as I stared at her, Ana was dead...she _had _to be.

I glanced back at Legolas, trying to gain strength from his presence...but he gave me none. He didn't even meet my gaze...and I wondered what he was thinking as we both stared at the pale elf-girl before us. I turned back to her and I found myself enraptured by her gaze. My heart flew to the lonely child I had once told stories to...the one who had dreamed of finding her Prince Charming. I remembered the joy on her face when I told her of Cudir, her brother's, return.

I remembered her eyes and her smile when she held little Turwithiel for the first time. I remembered her laughter, clear and melodious. I remembered her soulful, green eyes and the way her small hand used to grip mine. I hesitantly approached her, reaching out as she stared back at me.

"Ana?" I asked again. "It's me...it's Victoria." It was then that I saw a flicker of life in that pale face. Her slender body, clothed in white, now told of the curves and beauty that would to grace her young, vivacious form as she came into her womanhood. Her eyes flashed and her expressionless features now twisted into a grotesque scowl.

"I know who you are." She hissed softly. I froze as she tipped her chin up, staring full into my face. "You are Victoria _Saronedhel._..the elf-slayer."

_No..._my face paled. She couldn't possibly believed it too...she had _been _there. By what miracle she had survived, I did not know. But she had _been _there. She knew what had happened. I couldn't believe the words that came from her mouth, I felt betrayed.

"You don't...you couldn't possibly believe..." I faltered as I fought to regain my composure. "You were there, Ana... you _know._.."

The scowl faded slightly from her face, her eyes spoke of the depth of her pain, pain that I had borne on my own for so long. "No." She said softly. "I do not know...that is what I have brought you here to tell me."

I blinked in surprise, shock registering in my mind. Little Ana...my little Ana...had done all of this? She had stolen my alias? Burned my home to the ground? Impossible!

"Yes." She said. "It was all me."

"Ana...my flet...my _home..._"

Her eyes flashed. "There was nothing left for you there."

"There is nothing left for me _here. _Why did you bring me back here? To torture me about a past I have never ignored yet have tried so hard to forget? Do you not think I am haunted by the ghosts of this place day and night since I left?"

"You left." She answered simply, we stood rigidly about fifteen paces apart, my mind burning with fury and an unquenchable sense of loss and betrayal.

"They were _dead_, Ana. All of them. Mirlaic was dead..._you_ were dead."

To this she said nothing, instead posing a new question to me. "But you ran...they said it was you who brought this upon us. They said it was you who brought destruction to my village."

I felt tears spring to my eyes as I felt the pain in her words. "Do you really think that I would have ever forsaken you?" I moved to embrace her and she almost seemed to long from my touch...but at the last moment she pulled away, her eyes filled with loss. She averted her gaze, training it on something behind me.

"Why is _he _here?" She demanded icily.

I turned back, had nearly forgotten Legolas was still there, staring at the two of us as we spoke. He had a strange expression on his face and I hurriedly introduced my little Ana to him so that I could avoid his probing gaze, I had not the strength to deal with it. She stared a moment at him and then narrowed her eyes at me.

"Is it true then? Is it true that you have been keeping prisoners, Victoria?"

The anger that swept into her face frightened me and I shook my head. "No." I said, I glanced back at him again as I met his gaze. He was confused about something and he had so _many _questions. I felt guilty and I didn't know why. "Not any more."

My gaze softened as I looked back at her, I took a tentative step forward and just before I could touch her skin, she jerked her hand away and glared coldly at me.

"Ana...they are my people too." I said, desperately trying to get the sparkle in her eyes that I remembered from that little girl so long ago. She drew herself up tall, glowering down at me...why did she suddenly seem so tall?

"They were _my _people, Victoria...Legolas' people. _Never_...were they yours."

I sank to my knees, tears forming in my eyes.

"You do not take prisoners? Then why does the Prince of Mirkwood travel with you? What other reason would he have?"

"Ana...please, let me explain-"

"Explain? That is something you do need to do, Victoria _Saronedhel_. My village is dead and they say it was all because of you. What am I to believe? _Who _am I to believe?"

"Please Ana...if you would just _listen _to me..."

She cut me off with an abrupt wave of her hand. "That is exactly what I came for, answers. You," She narrowed her eyes, speaking with a voice that dripped of disgust. "...are going to give them to me."

* * *

Legolas watched the little elven girl with narrowed eyes. This was Gwenél? This slight of a girl not yet old enough to be presented? After finding out that Victoria had been Gwenél, he had been expecting something a bit...well, it was pointless now. He had learned long ago that appearances could be deceiving...especially after having met Victoria. 

Something was different about her...maybe it was only the fever. But he could see it in her face every time she looked at him. It was as if pieces of her were being chipped away. Her resolve was weakening- and she wouldn't last much longer at this rate. She had lost her hatred...which he knew had been her initial driving force. So what pushed the elf-slayer now? What had drawn her back to this ghost-village? What had she expected to find?

He wondered what sort of woman would survive this long the way that she had. She was deceitful...treacherous. She was a murderer, a prison-master, she had harassed his people for years now...or had she? Everything that had happened over the last few days had made him question all of the convictions he had against this supposed elf-slayer. Even the evidence against her now seemed lacking by her recent behavior. What had the warriors seen that fateful day five years past? What did they believe that made them hate her so much? Had they made an error of wanting to aim their grief and anger at someone and Victoria had been the only one available? It wasn't impossible...it had happened before.

At the moment, he felt his anger slipping away as it had when he had heard her call out to Faerlain the previous night. But then he would remember her smug looks as she boasted of her conquests and the hard glint in her eyes when he had been at her mercy, and then he would remember the drawing still clutched in his hand. He would remember the note to her on the back and the anger would all come flooding back in a torrent of pain.

_Why won't you answer my questions? What are you trying to hide? Who do you want to protect?_ He stared pitilessly as she fell to her knees in sobs. _Good,_ he thought, _let her cry. Let this elven child teach you a lesson. Let her get it through your thick skull that magnitude of what you have done. _And then his thoughts shifted as he realized what he was thinking. Is this the prejudism that had caused her to become an outlaw in the first place? Is this what haunted her now?

He shook his head, determined not to be bent to her side. He just wanted answers...he just wanted to _know._ He looked up at the elven girl again, staring at her as she spoke coldly to the elf-slayer before her. He blinked, strangely...he was having trouble focusing on her. It was almost as if...but no...that was impossible. But he couldn't shrug off the eery feeling that he couldn't focus on the girl because he could almost see right _through _her.

This was becoming all together ridiculous. What wasn't fantasy coming to life nowadays? First Victoria a ghost and now this? He found himself wondering in amazement how they could have pulled it off. Now she was speaking loudly to Victoria, her eyes flashing.

"If you speak the truth to me, elf-slayer, then what happened that day? Why are all my people dead?"

He watched the girl as she averted her gaze to meet his own. And he knew then that this slight of a girl didn't want just vengeance as the others had...she just wanted the answers. She wanted to know once and for all...just as he did.

* * *

I waited until my tears subsided, then I would be able to speak my words firmly. I didn't meet her gaze. "I suppose it would be no good to tell you I was innocent- that's what I told them all but none of them ever believed me." 

That was how I began it.

"I don't know how you survived, little Ana, and what cruel fate it is that we should be brought back together like this...perhaps it will make no difference between us if I tell you my story..."

I glanced back at Legolas, his face was drawn and taunt and his eyes, his flashing silver eyes, they were filled with such eagerness...such hunger. _You waited so long, my dear prince, will you open your heart now to the truth?_ I pleaded with him silently , wondering as I turned back to Ana if he could here me...if he would listen. _I have tried so many times, Oh God...I cannot do this alone._ I owed it to him, I realized, as I stood there, as if on judgement day before the two of them. I owed it to Legolas.

I began to speak, hesitantly at first, and I told Ana of how Mirlaic healed my wounds when I was first brought to the village...of how the others mistrusted and despised me. All them...all, except for Faerlain.

* * *

"_That's not a terribly long time if you look at it from my viewpoint. But I was away for so long most people probably thought I was dead or something of that sort. And I have to say, out of the all the mortals I've come to meet, I'm liking you the most." he said, his eyes were bright with laughter._

"_Can't of been terribly many of them then."_

"_You could say that."_

_We talked all the way to Mirlaic's, and I found myself surprised when we reached her yard, it had seemed like only seconds for I had liked Faerlain so much. I showed him where the chickens were kept and helped him catch two and put them in his cage._

"_I had an enjoyable time Victoria." He said as he prepared to leave._

"_Yes, feel free to come and catch chickens whenever you please." It was an absurd comment, but he only laughed._

* * *

...I told them of our lessons...

* * *

_I smiled, _"_I guess they can't seem to see why you even want to associate with me. A mortal, oh the scandal!"_

"_Well, it's obvious that I wish to associate with you and why is none of their business." he sat down on a patch of green grass by the riverbank. I noticed he had a few books laying there and he looked up expectantly at me, "Shall we begin?"_

_I spent most of the day there and very slowly I began to learn the ways of the Elves. For not only did Faerlain teach me Sindarin, he taught me the history of his people. By the day's end I regretted having to leave and I wished that we'd be able to do it again._

'_You're a good teacher.' I said slowly in his language and he smiled._

"_You are foolish to let my tongue wander so freely. But perhaps we could do this again?"_

* * *

...and how he had come to see me when I was ill...

* * *

_He smiled and pressed a finger to my lips, _"_Don't speak. I'll talk for you."_

* * *

...I told Ana how I felt when I held little Turwithiel in my arms, of the joy in her brother's face when he had held his daughter for the first time...

* * *

"_This... is ours?"_

"She _is, Cudir." Elenowen said lightly, sitting beside him and leaning on his shoulder to look into Turwethiel's face. "Yes, she is ours." _

_His hands, slender and rough, traced the outline of her cheek. He smiled delightedly as she looked up at him with her deep blue eyes. Araviniel had once told me that elven children are born with green eyes, to represent new life. But Turwethiel's were clear and blue, like the sky. They mirrored Cudir's own which were just as clear and sharp as his daughter's. He gently rocked his baby girl in his muscular arms and sang softly, the sweetest melody I had ever heard in my life._

* * *

...I told them about my dress, about being presented, about the glow that seemed to radiate inside of me when the villagers of Gilloth had embraced me for the first time...

* * *

_Then, very softly, I heard clapping. It was Ana. Turwethiel, seeing her sister, did the same. Elenowen grinned and then joined them. It was like a wave. Very soft as first, but then everyone was clapping as it grew. I could hear cheers, shouts of good will. Mirlaic was hugging me tightly... I had tears in my as I hugged her back._

* * *

...I told them how Faerlain had danced with me all night long...

* * *

_I found that I couldn_'_t tear my gaze away from him. I had so often recalled the image of his smile, the familiar twinkle in his grey eyes. The sound of his laughter, the way he spoke. The way he looked at me. It made me feel so warm inside, no stable boy or high school jock had ever given me that same feeling when I was back at home. I was so afraid that I would lose him if I even just looked away. The day passed like a dream, all blurry and not quite there. The only thing I was aware of, was him._

_And we danced._

* * *

...My words were stronger now, and I could feel my tears drop down my cheeks as I recalled all those memories I had tried for so long to forget. I told them about Zachary... about Caden. I told them how the orcs had attacked me from out of no where, how the arrow had pierced my side. I told them of the mist that blanketed the village, of the bodies that had lain twisted and cold on the ground, of the blood that had run rivers in the streets. 

I told them of the icy touch of Faerlain's medallion upon my breast when first Caden and then Mirlaic had died in my arms- just when the warriors had finally arrived...

* * *

_I watched them, staring, my body still as if I had been turned to stone. They filed into the village, bows raised. Some now exclaiming curses or cries of grief. Yes, you see now don't you? You see what you have done? I gritted my teeth. It was all their fault._

_Talorta whinnied anxiously and all of their eyes turned to me._

_They stared for a moments, their eyes traveling from the sword, to my blood stained hands, to my ears. My plain, rounded ears. And I saw their hatred, and I saw their looks of disgust and anger. I saw them stare at the medallion on my chest. And I saw them all raise their bows. I heard their war cries, I saw them run for me. I snarled._

_Nin goheno Mirlaic._

* * *

I told them how I had stared in disgust at their stunned faces and of the rage that had numbed my pain as I realized that they had come too late, and that it was all over. And I had hated them for killing my people. 

"I attacked them...I was angry. Furious that they hadn't come in time." I shook my head, rising to my feet on legs that were starting to give out on me. "Everything had gone wrong. No reinforcements had been sent, and now the fight on the borders was going to be lost and nobody was left alive in Gilloth...except for me." I closed my eyes, pained by what I was telling them.

"I wanted vengeance...retribution. I wanted everything to go back to what it was...but the warriors refuted me and I was driven into the forest." I paused here and glanced at Legolas. "I have been hunted as a criminal ever since."

"A pretty story." I heard Ana snarl from behind me and I whirled to face her. "Victoria walks away innocent and anyone could defy her, dead. Everyone...except for _me._"

I looked helplessly at her, exasperated. "I told you the truth! You were there weren't you? You survived! You would have seen...you would have _known._" Ana closed her mouth with a puzzled expression on her face and I paused, studying her. "But you didn't...did you? That is why you needed to find me."

"I...I don't remember." She stammered.

I approached her again, not reaching out this time to touch her, just kneeling by her, in hope that she was see the truth in my eyes. In hope that she wouldn't be blinded as the others had become. "I brought your brother's daughter into this world, little Ana." I murmured tenderly, gazing full into her face. "I _loved_ them. I loved them all so much. _So_ much. Why can't you see? What is this sorcery that has hardened you, and all your people to the truth?"

She wasn't looking at me now and I felt tears in my eyes more. "_Why can't you set me free_?"

"_Love?_" Came a harsh, demanding voice from behind me and I turned to face Legolas who stood tall in the light streaming down from the forest canopy. His face was full of malice and anger burned in his eyes. "You are not capable of love, Victoria Saronedhel. You've murdered and lied, betrayed and tortured. Who are you to love?"

I felt myself go cold as fury raged inside me, draining all the warmth from my body. "_Love?"_ I hissed sharply, drawing a startled look from Ana's deep, green eyes as I rose to my feet once more. "Do not speak to me of love, _Prince_ Legolas of the Woodland Realm." I said, mockingly. "Who are you to lecture me?" I spat.

His eyes flashed, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "It was a simple question-"

"Deserving of a simple answer?" I cut in, my anger blazing. All the injustices, all the _lies_ came back to me in an instant. I had waited to long, come to far to turn back now. _I was innocent. _"Is that it? I will tell you of love, Son of Thranduil. I cannot decide whether it harms or heals. Whether it is a paradise or hell. _Love._" I spat the word into the dirt. "Do not speak to me of love...you couldn't possibly know the meaning of the word. Do you love your father? Hm? Or perhaps your mother?" I noticed with a gleam of satisfaction that a muscle had twitched in his cheek, I had touched something there. I sneered at him, playing with his heart was all too easy.

"Did you _love_ Faerlain?"

That made him _really_ mad and I grinned madly. "You killed him!" He snapped, moving closer to me with a purposeful stride.

"Killed him? _I _killed him? Have you not been listening to me?" I raised my lip into a snarl of disgust. "You did not even _know_ him."

That only made him angrier.

"He was my greatest-"

"Friend? _Really_ Legolas." I paused, my anger dying as I sighed regretfully. "I loved him." I whispered. "I _loved _him."

* * *

He was standing only inches away from her now, the rage inside of him boiling as he gazed into her weathered face. He had wanted to kill her then, more then he had ever wanted to kill anyone before. But as the malice faded from her face and as she spoke those words, he found that his anger froze in shock and he found himself speechless as she continued. 

"I lived nearly three years in that _damned_ village. And I loved him."

She turned away, crossing her arms over her chest and covering her mouth with her hand, looking up to the sky. She took a deep breath and he heard the rattling, tell-tale signs that she was trying to hold back sobs. When she spoke again her voice was soft, and he could hear her sorrow as she spoke. "But no matter what he said...or did, I knew I would _never_ be enough." She looked back at him, tears flowing freely now. "Because of what I am. I knew there would never be a happily ever after for us."

Even Ana was still now, watching her through sharp eyes as she continued to sparkle strangely in the faint light. Victoria was staring at him again, defiance in her gaze. "And yet...you still believe that I killed him?"

Legolas then found his words again, his fury running hotly through his veins. He glared at her, leaning towards her still figure. But the anger had lessened now...mired by confusion. "Then...how did you get that medallion?" He asked, forcing himself to speak loud and true as he did so. The fire flickered in her eyes only once, and a dreamy expression stole suddenly over her face.

She smiled.

"We were in the forest...it was just after I had been presented...just after he gave me that note." She pointed to the parchment that was clutched tightly in his hand...so tightly that he'd nearly forgotten about it. She gazed around the clearing, seemingly lost in thought...lost in time.

"He was so sad...he was leaving soon- he'd been called up again to fight on the borders." Her smile faded, the lines of weariness evident in her face deepening. "He told me that he loved me, that we'd work through everything somehow." She turned to look at Ana, who's face was set in stone.

* * *

I smiled gently at her..._I could almost see his face...his beautiful face drifting in and out through the trees...'Victoria' _The wind seemed to whisper. '_Victoria'._

"He kissed me. And he asked me to marry him, to be by his side forever." I turned to Legolas now...he was so confused...so very confused. He looked nearly like that strange man who had brought me to Gilloth in the first place. Strider was what Mirlaic had called him.

"I said yes." I murmured softly. The smile came back as well as my tears. "I can remember the look on his face...he was so _happy._" I blinked, focusing on Legolas once more, urging him to understand. "He...he didn't have a ring. So he gave me it...he gave me the medallion. He wouldn't tell me where he had gotten it, but I knew it was special to him."

I breathed heavily, I had no words left to say...my tale had been told, and now Legolas knew...everything.

"I do not understand." Said Ana from behind me. My gaze flickered to her, noting her knit brows and clouded gaze. "Everyone said it was you."

I opened my mouth to anger but instead I heard a deep rumble from Legolas. "Yes...everyone did say it was you. How do we know what you say is indeed true?" He snarled. "I have the word of an entire nation against yours...whom am I to believe?"

I stared at him in disbelief. He didn't believe me? How could he not? I had bared my _soul_ to him. I had nothing left...couldn't he see that? I was shaking now..."What do I have to gain by lying to you, Legolas? I have nothing left! I am dying inside...it feels like I'm crumbling to pieces...can't you see that?"

I didn't let him reply, I jerked forward, so close that I could feel his hot breath against my skin. "What proof do you have that it was really me that killed them? Hm? What makes you think that one woman could possibly slaughter an entire village of elves? It defies reason, Legolas. Surely you must know this...even _you _could understand that." I sneered. "The word of a few vengeful warriors has set an entire nation against me...the word of a few...that's all you or anyone else ever had against me. I told Ana once that every girl had a knight in shining armor."

I met his gaze, snarled under my breath. "That's who Faerlain was. My rescuer..."_...save me now..._ "...my redeemer..." _...show them the truth... _"...my friend..." _...I need you..._

I backed away from him and I turned back to look at Ana. I was startled to see she was close to me now, only a footstep or so away. I wanted to embrace her with so much longing that it made my heart ache. She was crying, and I also realized that she was still so small in my eyes, though in reality, I could see I had only a few inches on her. What had happened to my little mouse? Where had that little girl disappeared to?

She reached out and I knelt. Something in her face warned me not to try and touch her as a pale, shimmering hand slowly neared me and gently caressed my face. I closed my eyes as a strange warmth over-powered me, easing my anger into numb acceptance.

"You have answered my questions." She said softly as I opened my eyes and gazed full into her face. I saw something there that I had not seen in a long time... I saw trust. I felt the ache grow stronger as I realized that she believed me...she was the first. She looked up at Legolas, giving him that cold, unnerving stare. "You stayed at the flet of Mirlaid this past night, did you not Prince Legolas?"

* * *

He blinked in surprise, having been lost in his own thoughts until he realized he was being addressed. Gathering his wits he answered the question with a brief incline of his head. Ana nodded in reply. 

"Then I believe you have something that belongs to Victoria."

Legolas stared in disbelief at this little elven child, wondering at her nerve to give orders to _him._ Prince Legolas of Eryn Lasgalen- heir to the throne of his ancestors. But he found that he could not hold onto his rebellion as he gazed into the girl's alabaster face. Remembering instantly the letter he had discovered on the old writing desk, he slid his hand into his pocket and drew it out- well aware of the two pairs of eyes concentrating on him. He neared Victoria, his hand containing the letter outstretched.

"I found this while you were sleeping." He said gruffly. Victoria took the letter tenderly into her grasp, her eyes trained upon the handwriting on the cover. She brushed her fingertips over the letter lightly, and then she spoke- her voice shaking. "This is in Mirlaic's hand." She gazed into the elven girl's face and Ana smiled sadly.

"It pained her to write it." She said softly.

Victoria moved to open it, somehow unsurprised by Ana's words but she stopped with she felt the cool touch of Ana's hand stay her movements. "Not yet. All shall be revealed in time."

Victoria looked doubtful, but followed the command nevertheless and gingerly pocketed the letter as she rose weakly to her feet.

"You have brought peace to my people, Victoria." Ana whispered, not quite low enough to escape Legolas' sharp ears. "You will find it someday for yourself as well." She gazed about the clearing, pausing momentarily as she caught sight of Talorta, lazily standing by the road that led back to the village. She smiled fleetingly at him before she turned back to look at the elf and human waiting for her to speak once more.

"Come, we will return to Mirlaic's flet, there are certain things I wish to discuss and we do not have the luxury of time."

"What can't we stay here?" Asked Legolas curiously.

Ana stared at him unblinkingly before she answered curtly, " Death lingers in this village, my prince. But all is not well." She gestured to the forest. "Even the trees can bare safety for those who wish to avoid prying eyes, but our voices might have instead caught someone's attention. We shall be safer there." She turned to look at Victoria, paused, and then slowly pulled something out of her glittering garments.

"I believe this belongs to you." She said softly, handing the trinket to Victoria. It was something metal...it glinted in the sunlight and it took Legolas only a moments to realize that it was the medallion. Victoria held it reverently in shaking hands and he stared wordlessly until Ana raised her emerald eyes to meet his again. "Help her onto the stallion, I'll walk. I will meet you back at the flet."

He nodded briefly in agreement and turned to look at Victoria. Her arms hadn't stopped shaking and she looked exceptionally ill as he moved silently before her. "We're going back to the flet." He said. "Ana will meet us there."

She looked up at him, tears in her blue eyes had replaced the hardened glint. Her lips trembled. "Here...you should keep this." She said, holding out the medallion with a pained look on her face. She might as well have been giving him a piece of her flesh- that was how much the medallion meant to her. And he also realized as he looked into her tear-stained face that, somewhere deep inside of him, he knew she was telling the truth. "After all...it's what you wanted all this time...wasn't it?" She continued.

His gaze lingered on the medallion a moment longer...realizing that he no longer cared. No matter how hard he wished it, the medallion would never bring his mother, or Faerlain back. He closed her fingers around the cold silver with two, slightly trembling hands.

"It no longer belongs to me." He said gently. He didn't know what he saw exactly as he looked at her, but she closed her eyes and whispered, 'thank you' before she swayed, saved by a collision with the earth only by his arms, and passed out.

* * *

**A/N: **I know the flashbacks are repetitive and they weren't originally in there...but they just seemed to fit as I was typing this up. :) Oh, one other thing, _Nin goheno Mirlaic, _means 'Forgive me Mirlaic'. I just thought I should mention it because I forgot to post the translation before. 

This was an EXTREMELY long chapter and I hope you are all satisfied for now. I try to update around the weekends, so I think you guys can get into the habit of expecting that.

Thank you all SO much for your reviews, they inspire me to update quickly. And remember, if you have any questions or comments, don't forget to say so in your review! And, as you also remember, I love hearing what lines you enjoyed, if any, from my latest chapters. Lastly, thanks a million to my beta, Kiann! God Bless and enjoy everyone:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	45. More Orcs :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**Just drink it...it will make you feel better."**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Five 

More Orcs

* * *

I had to stop doing this. 

Doing what?

Fainting! It's becoming a tad bit ridiculous.

"You are ill remember?"

Yes...how could I have forgotten. But now I was waking up...because I realized that I had been talking to someone. I blearily opened my eyes and was met with a mug hovering just before my face. I blinked, clearing my vision as my head screamed in outrage at my being awake. I tried weakly to lift my hands but instead the mug was gently brought to my lips and I felt the steam rising from it upon my skin. I wrinkled my nose.

"What is that?" I croaked hoarsely, squinting mistrustfully at the cup.

"Something to keep you awake." Answered a deep, distinctly masculine voice. I obeyed, grimacing as the hot, steamy liquid burned down my throat. I found the urge to spit it out as my vision cleared and I found myself looking into the face of the elven prince. He sneered slightly at me, gesturing for me to drink again but I turned my face away.

"It tastes like pig manure."

His brows raised in curiosity. "And how would you know how that...unusual...flavor tastes?"

I scowled at him, cursing his apparent jovial mood. _Curses upon his smug, princey face!_

"Just drink it...it'll make you feel better."

I scowled at him, muttering before I submitted to it, "Do I get a lollipop?" If he heard me, he said nothing and I wrinkled my nose again as I gulped it down once more. We were in Mirlaic's flet and I was seated in one of the longer chairs, my beaten body stretched out upon the worn cushions. We were in what used to be Mirlaic's living room. My body ached from the added strains being chucked onto it and my burns seemed to be pulling painfully at my shoulders. I couldn't wait for this all to be over...and yet I subconsciously found myself wondering how it would end.

Legolas was seated across from me. His eyes averting from my probing gaze as I watched him. There was a fire going in the hearth a few feet away from me and it was then with a jolt that I saw Ana, gliding gracefully across the floor towards us and sitting in yet another of Mirlaic's chairs. I felt nervous sitting next to her...she was different now- no longer the little elven child I knew all those years ago.

"You are not well." She said to me, folding her hands neatly in her lap. I suppressed a grimace and instead produced a wry smile.

"Tell me about it."

"It will slow our progress some...but no matter."

Not understanding her words I turned to glance at Legolas...who by all appearances was about as lost as I was. "Where's Talorta?" I asked.

"Munching happily on hay in the stable." He held out the mug to me once more and I stared in disgust at it before I took it with a grimace. Noting the look on his face I said to him,

"You're enjoying this...aren't you?"

I saw my first, genuine smile appear on his face as he reclined more comfortably in his seat. "You have no idea."

I wondered absentmindedly as he said this what had changed between us...and as I felt the cold touch of the medallion against my breast I realized he must either believe what I had told him, or he must think I was insane and that he must humor me. Either way, I was liking this Legolas much better then the old.

"Everyone deserves a second chance...huh?" I asked him, gauging his reactions to try and figure out which of the two I was to him. His face softened and though he didn't express what he was thinking into words, I knew then that I was no longer guilty in his eyes- and I relished in that thought. True innocence...I wondered what that felt like...when people took you for your word and looked at you without fear or hatred in their eyes. I suddenly felt nauseous and I fought back a moan.

"Drink it." He repeated gruffly, gesturing to the mug. I massaged my temples as I gulped the rest of it down...I couldn't take much more of this...

"Will you be fit for travel?" Ana asked, startling me with the sharpness of her words.

I glanced up at her in surprise. Noting my look she cocked her head quizzically and smiled grimly. "Surely you must know that we cannot stay here."

I looked speechlessly from Ana's all knowing face to Legolas', who was showing just as much surprise as my own. "But...where will we go? What do we do from here?"

Ana looked affronted. "Victoria, it has now become clear that it was not you who slaughtered the people of Gilloth. Do we all agree?"

Of course I agreed but I looked over at the prince to see where he stood on my situation. I felt warmth flood my body as he nodded his agreement. I felt like I had to gain his trust somehow. Maybe had to wasn't the right word...more like _needed_ to. Somewhere deep inside, I knew I wanted his approval.

"Good." Said Ana briskly. "Then we have all come to the final question. That since Victoria did not kill the villagers...then who did and why did they do it?"

"Orcs." I said quickly, glancing again at Legolas. "I told you...we needed reinforcements on the front lines because the orcs were attacking. They ambushed me on their way to the village."

"Yes...it was orcs." Ana conceded simply, as if she already knew when, only hours before, she had considered _me _to be the elf-slayer.

"But why then was the village left unspoiled? I have fought enough battles with orcs to know that this is not their way." Legolas said. "What were they looking for?"

Ana clapped, rising sharply. "Therein lies the question of which the answers we now seek."

"I don't understand." I cut in. "We're going to chase a band of nomadic orcs through the hell-hole forests of Mirkwood?" I looked hastily at Legolas as I spoke these words...but he didn't so much as flinch.

"Yes...that's right. For you must have guessed Victoria, the elves of Eryn Lasgalen will never stop hunting you until your name is cleared." Answered Ana.

I knew that much. But what else was there in finding these orcs? Sure, they'd make my case easier to prove but I had Legolas on my side now. Something else was missing here, another reason that Ana hadn't yet filled me in on.

Legolas caught my train of thought. "But why? If we wanted to track down these usurpers we could do so with better odds at a much faster pace if we first reached the palace and got supplies and warriors."

Ana tapped her foot impatiently. "That will take too long...we do not have time on our side...I've already told you!"

"Time for what?" I asked.

"You're not telling us something." Added Legolas, "Stop speaking in riddles!"

Ana's face was set in stone as she paused, deliberating. Her cold stare meeting Legolas' gaze. "Have you not guessed? We do not only seek the band of orcs in justice for Gilloth. " She said softly.

"What else could be the reason for it then? Legolas is right...if we got reinforcements we could accomplish this task with much more efficiency." I said.

"Despite the fact you would be shot on sight if anyone recognized you." Ana began, glancing first at me and then at Legolas. "These orcs carry prisoners...a mortal." Her eyes glinted as they met with Legolas'. "His name is Lord Aragorn."

Legolas' face paled and blanched. "Impossible." He said, thoughts swirling behind a mask of sudden despair that I couldn't penetrate.

"There is a lady as well...an elf." I saw the whiteness of the Prince's face but realized as I stood there that Ana had turned her attention to me. I felt uneasy under her stare. "The lady's name, is Araviniel."

* * *

"Who exactly is Lady Araviniel?" Legolas asked of me as Talorta walked silently through the forest. 

Legolas had shown me how to wrap my baby's hooves with cloth, muting most of the usual sounds of his unshod feet striking the earth. He now moved nearly as silent as the elven horses, who moved with a grace and agility that was unknown to my beautiful, if not slightly clumsy, Appaloosa Stallion. Ana was up ahead, seated upon a dappled grey steed as eery and haunted as herself with a slight evanescent quality. He had dark eyes, the kind of dark you would expect at the bottom of a well or in some dark, dank abyss. I didn't admit it aloud, but I was frightened of him.

I tried to concentrate instead on the warmth Legolas' body next to mine presented and I focused on the question he had asked of me. "I'll tell you if you refresh my memory of who _your _friend is." I whispered, tilting my head slightly so I could speak with him.

The need for silence was crucial, we both knew that with every step we were drawing closer to danger. Every moment counted now.

"My friend." Legolas repeated fondly. "One of my greatest friends. He's mortal...I've known him for a long, long time."

I felt the quirky comment coming, "So you make it a habit of befriending us?" I asked calmly, my face turned ahead, concealing my weary smile.

"Is that what you call it?" He replied, "I consider it more to the extent of _tolerating_ you."

Despite our rocky beginning, I liked Legolas...I really did. I had somewhere along the line, either in my life here or the one before, had gotten this impression that he was very prissy...rather girly and spoiled. He wasn't like that at all. He was tall, lithe, strong, and was bestowed with a sense of honor that I neither dreamed nor dare to presume that I would ever understand.

I knew right now he was trying to divulge my mind from the ever apparent fact that I was weakening as we rode on. Neither of us was stupid...I knew the fever was coming again...I was dreading it actually. And now he was trying to make me forget just how tired I was.

"So..." He said, interrupting my scattered thoughts as my head started to droop slightly. "Who is the Lady Araviniel.?"

I glanced back at him, meeting his silver gaze. "My _greatest_ friend." I said pointedly. "We met in Gilloth...for some reason I had supposed she was dead...like everyone else."

"Why is that?"

"She was Faerlain's sister."

Mentioning Faerlain was almost like a test. I really wanted to see if the elven prince truly believed me. Belief meant that he would learn to trust me. I wanted that for some strange reason. But his body didn't stiffen and I felt warmth flood into my numb limbs once more.

"Thank you." I whispered, closing my eyes as I felt the energy leave my body.

"For what?" He asked, his voice soft, penetrating any mental barrier I still had to protect him from me...or was it the other way around? I couldn't think anymore...

"For believing me." I answered, relaxing against him. "It's been a while since somebody has."

We didn't talk for a while after that. And despite my misgivings and fears about what the future held, I realized that I really didn't mind so much doing that...falling asleep in his arms.

I might be crazy...its been long enough in my mind. But I missed somebody taking care of me...and I realized as I drifted off that I liked the way he smelled. Was that wrong?

* * *

**A/N: **I'm so sorry everyone! I had the worst writer's block for this story, I just sort of got stuck because I knew what I wanted to happen but I didn't know how to get there. It was crazy...I was ripping the hair out of my head every night when I tried to write! But I think I'm over it and I'll get back to my usual update every once or twice a week. So never fear! 

Updates may be slower up until Easter because I gave up my computer every other day for Lent, being as I'm Catholic. Not that you people care much...but I just wanted to reassure you all that I wasn't forgetting about this story...I'm just limiting my time on it. :)

The plot problem has been solved thus far, and I hope you all enjoyed this rather fluffy interlude between Victoria and Legolas before the actions starts to heat up again...which I can safely assure you that it will.

Oh, and I found this really interesting blurb about Legolas in my research the other day proving once and for all that Tolkien described Legolas not as a prissy princey elven boy, but as a very strong, confident, lithe elven man. I thought this was so interesting because this is the Legolas I've been trying to prove to everyone is the REAL Legolas...even though Orlando Bloom from the films may not give that impression. :)

All right, drawing this rather lengthly review to a close, that you all so much for your reviews and support. And please, if you have any thoughts on this story, please say so:) Thanks again, and thanks most especially to my beta, Kiann. All errors are mine. Toodles!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	46. Understanding :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**Why did Mirlaic not leave the village?"**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Six 

Understanding

* * *

Not only did I not like being woken from my dreamy slumber, but it also hurt just to open my eyes. I ached all over and my burns felt like they were on fire- no pun intended. I felt weak...pukey is was Zach used to call it; when you're hot and cold at the same time and you feel like at any moment you're about to see your half-digested breakfast on the floor-wait... _Zach ..._Zach? 

Thinking of him woke me up...when _was _the last time I had thought of my brother? I couldn't remember. I didn't like to think about him...for then I would recall Caden's haunting message telling me that my brother wished to make amends. And I would remember that look of death that I had seen in both of their eyes...Caden's and Zach's. And I would feel cold. Pukey. Yeah.

I felt pukey.

Legolas was shaking me awake now...I was shivering...and it was snowing. "She is not doing well." I heard Legolas whisper urgently to someone else in Sindarin.

"We cannot stop...not now." I heard Ana reply.

I opened my eyes, found myself gazing blearily into Legolas' face...Ana was looking at me as well and I could see some strange emotion in her eyes...could it be _fear_?

"What are we hastening towards? We will never find tracks at this rate."

Snowing...it was snowing...was that why I was so cold?

"She needs warmth." Legolas persisted.

"Warm her with your body." Replied Ana tersely. "We no longer have any time...already the orcs have taken your friend and have had him for only the Valar knows how long. What are you waiting for? Both the captives' death?"

I felt Legolas stiffen, felt his arms tighten around my body. "I will not lose either of them." He growled to Ana through whirling snowflakes. I shivered.

"The snow will not slow us down." She replied, eyes flashing. "We continue, every moment is precious to us...I know where we are going."

"How do you know?" He shot back, Ana was silent for a moment.

"Hold her close to you...your body will warm her." She repeated.

This was ridiculous...I was freezing and now it was becoming too painful to move. "I'm awake." I croaked, tired of being talked about as if I wasn't here, fully roused from my dream-like stupor. Two pairs of elven eyes turned to me...where exactly were we? I could feel Talorta beneath me and I noticed that he was keeping his distance from Ana's ghostly mount who glared through dark eyes at us. "How much further do we have to go?" I asked, hating the two of them just then for not so much as even flinching as the snow whipped around us.

Ana didn't answer.

"We have to keep moving." I said, voicing her thoughts just as her lips moved to speak them. Ana nodded grimly, realizing I understood our need to move. She turned to Legolas,

"Keep her warm." She said once again, then whirled her grey mount to face ahead. Still seated upon Talorta and against Legolas, I realized that my butt was numb. An interesting sensation. Legolas was frowning at Ana as she stalked off, but I could sense his uneasiness as he nudged Talorta forward with a gentle squeeze.

"If we keep on at this rate you will not have the strength to stand when we reach our quarry." He muttered. Talorta knickered softly, as if to voice his agreement.

"She _is_ right though." I said softly, biting my lip to drown out a groan as Talorta stumbled slightly and jarred my shoulders. "We won't be accomplishing anything for our friends if they're both already dead." I countered, trying to palliate his anger- though it's cause was a bit fuzzy in my mind.

Ana turned from the back of her hose, her eyes narrowed. "Be silent!" She hissed. "We ride ever nearer to danger...do not jeopardize this mission by foolish conversation." She turned away, leaving both Legolas and I stunned in her wake.

I could feel sleepiness settling in on me once more as both of us fell silent. And I noticed how comfortably my body rested against the elven prince...it made me shiver nervously. I had to think about something else...

"Do you suppose we can whisper?" I murmured softly. He didn't reply and I guessed that was my answer. We rode long through the forest and well into the evening before Ana slowed her horse and spoke to us once more.

"We shall stop here for a short while." she said to us, seemingly floating as she gracefully dismounted and landed soundlessly on the forest floor.

I didn't voice any of the questions swirling about in my head, nor did I speak to her as I slid shakily off Talorta's back and hit the ground, my weariness overtaking me. My headache was getting worse and the pain in my shoulder was flaring up again. As Legolas sat me down and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, I remembered something.

"Legolas...do we have any star-flowers?" I asked.

He paused, watching me shiver before he reached into his pocket and presented me with two in the palm of his hand. I shook harder, the fever settling in on my body. "Crumble them up into dust...it shouldn't be too difficult...and squeeze the nectar out from the center. It'll make a paste."

I started as Ana approached, glancing at the flowers with a gleam in her eyes. "Those will help with the fever." She said eagerly...or rather what was eagerly for Ana. She looked up at Legolas, "They will give her strength for the coming dawn...but quickly now, we have only a few hours."

Legolas nodded wryly and I got the distinct feeling that he was just as uneasy around her as I was. He murmured something to her and she stalked off, paying me not another glance. Legolas was quick about the paste...obeying Ana's orders. And as I instructed him to smear it on my burns, he got a fire going to warm my nearly convulsing body as the snow continued to twirl around and about us...as it got colder and colder.

* * *

She looked small as he smeared the thick, blue paste across her scarred back. Small and defenseless. He wondered at her fear of her when they had first met. Maybe not fear...maybe _dread_. A dread of what he would learn from her. Now he saw only the broken shell of a woman haunted by a past he had unearthed. A past that was causing her pain. He felt guilty for causing her that discomfort just then, she shuddered violently as he began to smear the paste and he stopped. 

"No..." She breathed. "I'm all right...stings a little...that's all."

She crossed her arms more tightly around her chest and buried her head in them. He smeared the paste on again...and this time she passed out.

* * *

Ana had startling eyes when you were fully aware and awake. There was this haunted quality about her...I think it was the only thing we had in common. But waking up to her face was something entirely different. She placed her hand over my mouth as I jerked awake, stifling my scream as I awoke to her hovering above me. She placed a finger on her lips, gesturing for my silence, and then pointed to Legolas. He was propped up against a tree a few feet away, his eyes open...but I knew enough about elves to tell that he was sleeping. 

My fever had broken and my chills, subsided. I felt warm next to that fire...warm and safe. Ana sat back and I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position, wincing as my tender flesh tugged at fresh bandages. Talorta was standing at attention at the edge of our camp, his ears flicking back and forth as he listened to the sounds of the forest. I smiled fondly at him...noting that the snow had stopped. The fire was dim now, more like smoldering ashes- which was good. I knew the fire had been for my sake alone and had put us all in danger. I didn't like the feeling that knowledge left me.

My gaze drifted to Ana, I watched as her pale face shimmered in the flames as she gazed up into the sky. I followed her eyes, realizing it was the stars she was gazing up at. Stars. They were rare to behold in the forest where the trees stretched on for miles on all sides and the leafy canopies stood towering above hundreds of feet above. And having lived nearly eight years in this forest, it as difficult for me to recall the last time I had gone star-gazing.

"They are beautiful...are they not?"

Ana didn't respond to my soft comment and I was left alone for a while with my own thoughts.

"May I ask you something?" She asked at last.

I glanced at her in surprise. "Sure."

"Why did Mirlaic remain in the village?" I blinked, cocking my head to look at her. "She believed...she believed she needed to stay with her people."

"What about you? Did she not care about what happened to you?" Ana countered, still staring up at the sky.

I winced, recollecting the things I had said to Mirlaic...the anger I had felt towards her...her voice on the wind as she tried to call me back as I rode away. I heard her voice often, whispering to me through the trees. I licked my lips, trying to figure out a way to put my thoughts into words. "I think she knew what would happen." I said slowly, "I think she didn't want me to die there." I smiled softly. "She said I had a whole life before me."

I felt the cold, winter wind...it chilled me to the bone. I shivered. The thought came to me then...ironic. It had a pungent taste to it. I laughed bitterly. "You know...since she died...I hadn't even wanted the life she gave to me. Every day I wished for death that refuses to come. And then I can hear her voice in my head, and I'll wonder what she wanted to say to me when she tried to call me back. I always wonder." I shook my head, tearing my gaze from the sky.

"You do not have to wonder though."

I blinked...the letter...I had forgotten it. It was probably still tucked away in my cloak. Unread. I glanced at Ana, watched as her mournful eyes turned to the fire. I watched the little flames dance in those eyes...eyes filled with pain...and a great emptiness. I understood.

"You don't remember...do you."

She met my gaze briefly, then hastily turned away. "I told you...I was knocked unconscious."

I shook my head. "But you _really _don't remember anything...anything at all. That's why you had to find me." My voice softened. "That's why you're still here now...isn't it?"

For s slimmer of a second, I saw Ana for who she really was...that little girl from Gilloth- playing beneath the branches of the forest. She blinked back tears.

"You left Victoria. But I stayed. I brought arrows to those who could use a bow. I ran to make sure Elenowen and Turwithiel were all right. Then I saw them." She shuddered at the memory, drew her knees to her chest. "Running towards us, black and murderous." She glanced hesitantly into my face, then dropped her gaze to the fire. "That was all. Why did no one come for me? Why was the village left alone?" She sighed. "I felt abandoned...like they had all left me to face the world on my own. It should not have had to be like that."

I reached out to touch her as she but her lip, but she shied away from my hand. I drew my finger back. "I'm sorry Ana."

She gave me a half-smile. "You are not at fault..." She answered softly. "...you never really were."

I heard a twig snap behind me and we both whirled, a dagger in my hand and a scimitar in Ana's. It was Legolas, his body rigid. "They are here." He hissed, his silver eyes darting from the shadows of the trees to my own, horrified gaze.

He pointed upward to the break in the trees...to the sky. There..just a short distance away...was a huge pillar of black smoke. Legolas was ready for anything...and just then I realized that smoke was near enough for the enemy to be anywhere...I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck. Talorta knickered softly to us...Legolas stomped on the fire, smothering the last of the flames. It would be dawn soon, already the sky was lightening. But it wasn't the black smoke itself that was so unnerving about the pillar.

What was unnerving were the screams that we could hear coming from it.

* * *

**A/N: **Told you I'd have another chapter up soon. Consider this a reward for the long wait in between updates...two chapters in two days...you should all consider yourselves lucky. :) The next chapter we'll be taking a plunge into darkness...so hold onto your butts and get ready for the ride! Just a little note, the original inhabitants of Middle-earth never used contractions so I'm trying to cut them out altogether for characters such as Aragorn, Legolas, and Ana. So if you see any in their conversations, drop me a line in your review:) 

Thanks again for all the reviews, love you all:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	47. Screaming :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**Did I mention that I still hate you?"**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Seven

Screaming

* * *

_He hadn't wanted to open his eyes...had hoped somehow that it would have all ben a dream...a nightmare. But it never was. He could remember the first time he had opened his eyes...he remembered his confusion as he awoke not to the sound of his comrades' voices, but to groans...and to the growls of the lowest creatures of the earth. He remembered the pounding in his head and remembered the sticky, oozing blood that had run rivers down his face. He was young...turned twenty and four this coming year. He would have been getting married...now he could hardly remember his own name. _

_He remember the name of the lord who had slept next to him as they lay in their prison. But even that had begun to get all fogged up in his mind. The man was of noble blood, he knew that much, he was honorable and worthy of respect. That man had spoken quietly to him every night, giving him hope and entreating him not to give up. It was that lord alone who had prevented him from slipping into insanity after their first two weeks in captivity. The lord instilled the vague wish and desire that they might get out of this mess one day, he had cooled the heat of his fevers. _

_There had been others too...friends of his...men and elves who had ridden into the forest. But he had started to forget them too...their faces only a blur in his mind. The orcs had taken them out of the cave one by one...each time asking the kind lord a question he wouldn't answer. And that was it...the man or elf wouldn't come back. He would never see them again...but would always hear they're screams at night. If he forgot all else, he would never forget those screams. They haunted him...day in and day out. _

_Now it was only him left...him, the kind lord, and the elven maid. Oh...he remembered her too...quite vividly. The orcs had tried to do unspeakable things to her- but she had fought them...fought even as their slimy, clawed hands had tore at her clothes. She killed one of them...snapped its neck right in two. They beat her after that...beat her till she was lying on the forest floor with blood running down her face and bruises on her pale arms. _

_They beat the lord too...beat him hard at first...but when he still wouldn't answer their questions they had tried something new to break him. That was when they started to take the others away. That was when the screaming had started. And now there were only the three of them left. They had beat him too...and now he couldn't remember his own name. _

_He wondered sometimes if it was worth it...following the lord into the forest in the first place. He would never see the woman he had been going to marry...the one he still saw in his dreams. He_ _wondered why it was his lot to die in a strange land for strange people. He wondered about a lot of things. He hurt all over...and the elven lady and the lord had been taken out of the cave a little while ago. They kept them in the back of the cave, it was dark and musty...stinking of orc filth and blood. And the ones they had taken out into the forest had never come back. Only their screams had returned to echo off the cave walls._

_He didn't fight them when they finally came for him as well...didn't struggle when their sharp fingers had dug into his arms and they had roughly drug him up. He had blinked in the sunlight...the first he had seen in a while, when they had brought him out of the cave. It had taken him a few moments to get it, but he instead concentrated on something else. _

_He'd never have to go back in that cave again...it would be all over soon. They brought him out to a clearing...it had been snowing- but he hardly felt the cold at all. Strange. The orcs gathered in a circle around him, hooting and cheering , he was forced onto his knees. He looked up, blinking blood out of his eyes. He could now see the lord, could see the lady too, both being held by orcs. He could see the wildness in the lord's eyes as he stared back at him, he could see the sadness in the elven's lady's. Why was she sad? He was out of that cave after all, he'd never have to go back in there again. _

"Where is Legolas, the Prince of Mirkwood?" Snarled one of the orcs to the lord, the lord had chains around his ankles.

"I told you! I do not know...we were searching for hi-"

"Silence!" The orc shouted.

_Someone grabbed his hair, yanked his head back_.

"He is the last." The orc grumbled darkly. "You know what will happen if you do not answer."

_He lifted his eyes to the lord, saw rage and despair written in his bruised and bloodies face. _"It's all right." He whispered to him. "I'll be fine." But he didn't know if the lord had heard him.

_There was something else in the lord's eyes too...fear. Was he afraid for him? He looked defeated...haggard. He slumped his shoulders and the elven lady turned to look at him. _

"I told you we were searching in the northern woods-"

_Something snapped in his arm and he cried out in pain and the lord looked frantically at the orc. _

"You took him! Gwenél took him! I do not know!"

_The orc snarled and something else snapped in his other arm and he saw stars. He was kicked forward onto the ground and he fought the desire to throw up. _

"Not good enough." The orc spat.

_He didn't hear another snap this time...but he felt something...something much worse. They turned his body over so that he was on his back...staring up into the sky. Then he heard the screaming again. He glanced back at the lord and the elven lady, the lord was pulling frantically at his chains and the orcs laughed. _

"I am so sorry." He whispered...not knowing if the lord heard him.

_The screaming continued...and he realized as the orcs gathered around him and pain shot through his body that it was him...his screams. He looked up at the sky, closing his eyes to drown out the sounds. Are they...eating me? He didn't know...didn't care. He could see light now...could no longer feel pain...could no longer feel sorrow._

_His only regret was that he was leaving the lord and elven lady behind. It was a shame really...though he received the distinct impression that they would be joining him soon. _

The screaming stopped.

* * *

We left the horses a few paces back...and the three of us crept over a hill overlooking the fire. I heard Legolas exhale shakily and I heard Ana murmur something that sounded like a prayer. I saw the orcs crowd around the body of the boy who they had struck down, and I closed my eyes as I heard his screams stop...I felt sick.

I saw Legolas' friend tugging vehemently at his chains, and I felt Legolas stiffen beside me as one of the orcs knocked him out and he fell limply to the ground. We were too far away for me to see much...but I could tell by Legolas and Ana's pale faces that they could see fine.

I gazed round the circle and my gaze froze as I caught sight of an elven maid struggling to get to the fallen man. Her hair was dirty, her hair matted her face bruised and her garments torn. But I knew who she was as easily as if it had been only a few days, rather then years, since the last time I had seen her. Araviniel. I wanted to call out to her, scream her name to see the recognition in her face. She would not hate me, she would understand. I wanted to see and to embrace her.

I had thought they were all gone...all those from Gilloth, and suddenly Ana was here, following me like a wraith and now here was Araviniel...in the hands of a ruthless pack of orcs. I turned so my back was leaning up against the frozen soil of the hill, a swift breeze chilling me as it ruffled through my worn, black garments. Ana was on my one side, Legolas on the other, all of us grim-faced and pale.

"What are we going to do?" I asked softly, nervous about being so close to the orc encampment without proper protection.

* * *

"We will have to fight them." Legolas replied, glancing at the women seated beside him.

"Do not be daft." Ana hissed, her eyes flashing, betraying her nervousness. "There are too many...this is not a small nomadic tribe, they're looking for something. And have apparently been at finding it for a long while."

Victoria didn't say anything, she just looked up into the bare branches of the trees and chewed her lower lip, thinking.

"We cannot just storm their ranks." Ana continued. "They are battle hardened and we are out-numbered."

Legolas glared at the elven girl in irritation. "Well we must do _something..._we cannot just let them die." He said sharply.

"Which is not something I was suggesting." Ana replied, her lip curling. "It will be no good to get the both of you killed."

Legolas looked up at her curiously, opened his mouth to speak just when Victoria spoke. "I've got it!" She turned to look at him, her eyes suddenly very wide and hopeful. "Do we still have my pack?"

Legolas' mind began whirling, forgetting almost immediately Ana's strange remark. "Yes...it is back with the horses..."

"Come on then!" She said quickly, rising as fast as she could on swaying legs and stumbling back into the forest.

* * *

"Explain to me once more this plan of yours?" Legolas was saying. Ana stood silently to one side, watching Victoria through blank eyes as she rummaged through he pack a few times until she pulled out two jars filled with a shimmering substance that she had packed when they'd first left the smoldering ruins of her flet. Victoria was impatient as she sighed and started again to explain.

"Remember all the sightings of Gwenél you were informed of? And how each time those who sought her out were found unconscious and had partial amnesia when they awoke?"

Legolas nodded, recalling the elf who had first described Gwenél in detail...though he did find it amusing that Victoria kept referring to her alias as a whole different person.

"Gwenél was me, as I've already stated." She said. "I'd ride Talorta, singing as I went to warn people to stay away when I discovered them coming too near my star-tree forest."

Legolas' brows met and he frowned. "But I remember seeing...well...I saw a woman in the trees...but she looked like a ghost. She was glowing, and she rescued me from those ors." He stopped short, turning to look at the slight of a woman before him with an incredulous stare. "You are not telling me that you were capable of all those things." But when she didn't defend herself, he narrowed his eyes and realized the truth of her words, incredible as they sounded. "You are telling me that, that was all you?"

She nodded, brows raised and her mouth turned upward into a quirky smile. She looked insane just then. She looked as though she was going to say something saucy in reply but Ana held up her hand, silencing her.

"What exactly does you being Gwenél have to do with what is contained in those jars?"

Victoria immediately sobered. "If you mix this," Gesturing to the powder inside, "...with a bit of water it makes a thin paste. It reflects sunlight and gives the appearance that one is glowing."

"That explains the ghostly encounters then." Said Ana, nearing Victoria and inspecting the contents of the jars. "What exactly is this?"

"A compound of star-flower dust...my mentor showed me how to use it." She replied.

Legolas' brows raised. "Mentor?"

Victoria blushed by discreetly ignored the question. "It is amazing all the uses these star-flowers have." She said, moving off topic.

Legolas, still curious over this 'mentor' business, set his curiosity aside temporarily to ask another question. "Then how did you cause the illnesses among my people?"

Victoria answered this without missing a beat. "The power inside the jars is toxic if breathed in- and I swear again that I never killed any of your people." She said haughtily as she caught sight of Legolas' accusing glare. "All I had to do with blow it at them and they'd be out like a light...it doesn't quite effect humans the same way as it does elves. If I breathe in a bit of it I'd be fine. I've done it countless times in the past."

Legolas was now too inspecting the jars, and his eyes caught sight of the human's as he absorbed this information. "So...what are you suggesting?"

Victoria looked a little caught off-guard. "I thought I made it obvious. I'm suggesting I smear the paste on me and Talorta and scare them off. They fear me...you should remember as much from when I rescued you. With any luck it will be the same band and while I scare them away you and Ana can rescue our friends."

Have Victoria scare them away...it was true he could recall the orcs' respect when they had seen Victoria in her ghostly form. He could also remember his own fear as she had grown angry. But what would stop them from attacking her this time? What if they were unimpressed by her attack? He shook his head,

"You should not go...you are not yet at full strength."

Victoria was insulted. "They've captured you once already...haven't you noticed that they've been executing men down there to discover your whereabouts? They don't fear you and you're also one of the most recognizable elves in this entire forest!"

Legolas couldn't explain to her or to himself the tightness in his chest when he thought of her in danger, even though he clearly understood the reasons for him not being the one to don the ghostly countenance. "Then what about Ana?" He asked, ready to try anything rather then risk the human's life. Besides, Ana had an invincible air about her, surely she'd be fine. He turned to glance at Ana but the elven girl only shook her head, not at all affronted by the Prince's lack of bravery.

"The paste will not work on me." She said quietly, even meekly. But despite his questions that was all she would say.

"I'll be fine." Victoria said confidently, meeting his irritated gaze. "We'll make the paste quickly and attack tomorrow at dawn...they hate the sun. Especially at that time in the morning."

Legolas, frustrated at not be able to stop her, scoffed. "You seem to know a terribly large amount about their kind."

Victoria narrowed her eyes, one hip jutted out defiantly. "Are you accusing me of being on _their_ side?"

"I am not _accusing_ you of doing anything." He snapped in reply.

They would have gone on bickering if Ana had not interceded just then with the usual sharpness to her voice returned. "Fighting amongst ourselves will get us no where...save your squabbling for the fight tomorrow. I believe we are all in favor of this course..." She looked pointedly around at the two of them at finding no complaint she continued. "...so let us get to work then!"

Ana snatched both jars and walked abruptly off to the stream. Victoria glanced at Legolas with the barest hints of rage. "I can take care of myself...I have all of my life."

"And look were it has got you." He sneered haughtily, watching as color mounted to her pallid cheeks.

"You are the most unsufferable...pig-headed..." She couldn't find the words to finish her sentence and, still boiling with fury she leveled her gaze at him and muttered darkly, "You know I still hate you...right?"

Legolas glanced at her coldly before replying, "I thought it went without saying." He gestured dramatically for her to follow Ana and with a snort she shoved past him, smacking him hard in the chest and winding him briefly. They didn't speak again as they hurriedly set about to making the paste- concern for their friends' welfare mounting each moment in their both their minds. Ana was strangely distant, speaking to no one and avoiding physical contact at all costs with them.

With one jar they made a large amount of the thin paste and Victoria started smearing it upon herself until it covered the entirety of her body and dried like a second skin, making her look no different then before, if not slightly paler. Legolas wondered why she didn't appear to glow, until he noticed the setting sun and how she carefully avoided the rays that streamed down through the barren trees.

"Once I step into the sunlight, it'll continue to glow until it wears off...which can take days or weeks at a time."

Realization dawned on him as he continued to mix the paste with water Ana hauled from the stream. _That is why she avoided the sunlight...she's been wearing it the whole time._

So they worked long into the late hours of the night...unaware that the orcs sat brooding and making plans of their own while both parties anxiously awaited the coming of dawn.

* * *

**A/N: **Hello all! I'm back on my weekly updating schedule so I hope you all are enjoying updates once more! I noticed a slight decline in reviews these past two weeks...so I hope in my delay I didn't lose any of those wonderful readers that give me the inspiration to continue this work! I am only seven reviews away from 500 and I'm surpassed all my wildest dreams and expectations by coming this far with so much support...so thank you all again! I have the end of this story in sight...so I hope it doesn't end up disappointing:)

Thanks again for all your reviews and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come! And thanks a million to my beta, Kiann!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	48. A Ghostly Maiden :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**They don't usually work you know."**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Eight 

A Ghostly Maiden

* * *

He awoke with a sharp pounding in his head and a pain in his back that made his entire body ache. The events of the previous day filtered back to him and he felt despair tugging at his heart as he opened his eyes. She was sitting next to him, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head buried in them. Her torn garments had begun to slide off her shoulders, which were shaking visibly with sobs. He realized with a pang that he'd never seen the elf maiden so vulnerable...and it disheartened him. 

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, gritting his teeth as his body protested the movement. He gasped as a sharp pain radiated from his rib cage and he pressed the flat of his left palm to it, wincing. It was only after that he had taken a deep breath and looked around that he'd noticed the blood in his eyes.

He looked again toward the maiden, collected his breath before asking, "They killed hi-... They killed him...didn't they?"

He saw her raise her head slightly, eyes -haunted and bleak- turned to glance at him. She seemed startled at first, but she calmed herself before she answered him. "They killed them _all_ milord." She said softly. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, smearing her tears with dirt and blood.

The cave was still dark but the faintest rays had begun to filter in through its mouth. "It will be dawn soon." He said, pushing himself all the way up into a sitting position and glancing around. There were no orcs in the cave, which was surprising enough as the demons usually preferred the dark to the gloom of the forest. Grimly he realized that he was glad there were no more of their company left...no more that would have to die. With so little hope and with no chance at rescue...he began wondering if he would ever see Arwen again. Would ever hold his unborn child in his arms? He closed his eyes as he remembered... and the memory of the screams reached his ears once more.

He felt a sharp pain of regret that he'd ever come with Legolas at all. He was no longer a ranger of the wild, no matter how much he missed that it would never change. He was a king...and as such he should have never gone off into the forest in the first place. This was all his fault.

_Why is it so damned quiet outside?_

These orcs were unusual, yes, but right about now they should have been entering the cave for questioning...torturing...or something of that sort. He frowned...something was not right. He stood, leaning hard on the cave wall and sucking in sharply as the pain in his ribs flared again. "How long was I unconscious?" He asked Araviniel.

"The whole night...ah...Lord Aragorn?" The elf maiden behind him asked in confusion as she watched him rise.

"Can you not sense it?" He asked, glancing quickly at her. He started walking towards the mouth of the cave, one arm pressed to his chest. "No guards? No noise? They would not have left us here."

Araviniel had risen now as well and was only a pace or two behind him. Only a few steps away from the cave entrance they heard rocks from outside crunch underfoot and both elf and human froze...barely breathing. Then there they were again...and again...ans they stopped. They didn't move in silence for what seemed like an eternity and then Araviniel hissed to him,

"Do you think-"

"_Quiet!" _He bit back in a harsh whisper.

Suddenly a head popped into view that made the King of Gondor start in surprise.

"Legolas?"

* * *

Victoria had been ready for the attack just as the dull sunlight drifted down through the barren trees and gave welcome warmth, however weak, to their chilled bones. They waited on the edge of the hill, waiting until the camp below was more or less silent. Victoria carefully avoided the rays of the sun, hiding in the shadows as the three waited in silence for the opportune moment to strike. Victoria was shivering, the faded and torn remnants of her long, black garments hung in tatters about her shoulders. 

Legolas had suggested that they fashion a knew tunic from it but she had refused, saying that the ripped cloth would only add to her ghostliness. Ana scoffed at this idea but gave no other argument. But Legolas could still see how the human shivered as the cold wind bit at her broken skin. The burns had begun to scar now, leaving her pale flesh battered in its wake. He had to fight back a grimace every time he caught sight of them- wishing for the millionth time that he was as skilled a healer as Aragorn. _Estel._

He thought grimly of the orcs' violent treatment of his friend and hoped that this morning's ambush would not have come to late. And he felt a sudden rush of emotion wash over him when he thought of Victoria facing the company of orcs on her own. And it was then he realized with a pang how much worried he was about her... and how much it pained him to think of her getting hurt. He turned to look at her.

* * *

I sat still...as still as I could. I could feel frozen soil beneath my equally frozen fingertips. Talorta was standing a few feet off, he hadn't avoided the sun as I had and patches offur were now starting to glow. I smirked in amusement and blew a stray piece of hair away from my face. An Appaloosa whose spots glowed...I bet they'd never seen anything like _that_ back in the states. 

I shivered as a bit of wind blew past me and I felt Legolas' eyes on me again. I scowled at him. "I'm cold...all right? I'll admit it." I snapped.

He didn't say anything in reply, but the look that he gave me through his silver eyes bore the equivalent of 'I-told-you-so'. I guess gloating wasn't an elf thing. I could have smacked him...I was nervous about this whole business as it was and his stare was unnerving me to say the least. Ana was standing with the horses. She didn't touch either of them...or speak to them. She just stood there, looking through the trees with a dreamy expression on her face. I turned to face him again, a pit of fear starting to churn in my stomach as I realized that now was the was the time to begin.

I met his gaze and was surprised to see a softer look there...a weird sort of tenderness ...twisted ...as if he wasn't really sure if it was suppose to be there. I felt the pit churn again...there was something about him that was doing something to me...something that was changing me and I couldn't explain it. And I knew by the way he was looking at me now that he felt it too. I shifted uncomfortably on the dirt, heat flushing my pale, tainted cheeks.

"I should get going." I said weakly, averting my gaze and gulping hard. What was the matter with me? I'd never felt this way before...it was different then anything I had felt with Faerlain...and certainly like nothing I'd ever experienced back home. _What was this crazy elf prince doing to me?_ I started when I felt him place a warm hard on my bare shoulder...fire tingled down my arm sending little shocks through my body, but they didn't hurt. They...I didn't know...in a strange way they excited me...in others they scared the crap out of me..._what was the matter with me!_

"Be careful Victoria." He whispered softly.

My insides twisted as I looked at him, seeing his eyes stare straight into my very being. I felt nauseous, but I gulped it down- tasting bile in my throat. I couldn't get sick now...not here. My cheeks felt hot but I felt something inside of me twinge when I thought of the possibility of never seeing him again. And I knew, with my odds, that there was a very good chance of me dying today. Strange..dying didn't bother me so much as never seeing his eyes...his face...his very _being_ again. _What was the matter with me!_

Talorta pawed the earth nervously and Ana spoke in hushed tones to him. But both sounds sounded dull on my ears now...I don't know quite how it happened...but suddenly he was so close to me that I found I couldn't breathe. I could feel his warm breath on my neck, making my skin tingle.

"Legolas...I-" I started, but my sentence faltered as he place a finger on my lips. He didn't smile...not really anyway. He just looked at me and then I felt his lips brush against mine. I gasped, feeling dizzy as little shocks burst through my body. I hadn't kissed anyone since my last night with Faerlain...but I didn't pull away as the Prince kissed my again. He sought my mouth, caressing my lips with his own...and I kissed him back. I felt hot all over...sick even as he kissed me gently. It wasn't a teeth snapper of the passionate lover...it was more like a testimony...a gentle testimony..._of what?_ I shivered as his hand came up behind my head...and I realized I was afraid of him.

But then everything went wrong.

I felt suddenly ice cold as a new thought pushed its way to the front of my clouded mind. I ran from him...the wind tearing art me as I escaped his warmth and his presence faded. I didn't let myself cry...I had a job to do and this was neither the time nor place to be thinking on this sort of thing.

I felt the sun brush across me and a quick glance at my arm told me that I had started to glow. It wasn't like a neon yellow or anything...it was more like if you had just stepped into really bright sunshine.

I lept fluidly onto Talorta's back, wincing as my limbs protested the strain. _RUN...RUN...RUN...!_ My mind screamed as I kicked him into a gallop. I shoved my confusion and nauseousness into the back of my mind...I couldn't be doing this right now and I most certainly wouldn't be bothered about him. But that was what was bothering me anyway...wasn't it? There...I had said it. Love. I had spoken those words only once...since Faerlain's death, and that was to Talorta after the accident with my mentor. (Which was another event of my past that I refused to think on.)

_I couldn't love him...I couldn't love anybody..._a branch struck my cheek- biting into my skin and dragging me back to reality as pain lanced through the side of my face. But I still felt so cold...and I realized why it was making me feel so sick.

It was because if I had let Legolas kiss me...it meant I didn't love Faerlain anymore. And I...I just...

I wanted to scream...tear my hair out...but I couldn't. I had to sit serenely on my horse's back and play the part of the revered ghost. I am a God damned idiot.

And now it was time.

* * *

He watched in astonishment as she turned and galloped off into the woods. Talorta's hooves, muted by cloth, struck softly at the frozen earth- spraying snow and soil out from behind him. Legolas backed away from the hill, feeling dazed as he shook his head to clear his mind. _This was impossible..._he hated Victoria...he _hated _her! 

But she hadn't kissed him..._I kissed her._

Ana was watching him from across the glade, she gestured to his bow which lay a few paces away...but she made no movement to hand it to him. She watched him through solemn eyes, smiling sadly.

"You've really confused yourself...you realize that don't you?"

He glanced at her briefly, saying nothing as he stood and reached for his bow, slinging his quiver over his shoulders and fitting an arrow to the string. His heart was racing...he felt like he was trying to swim up from the bottom of a lake...trying to gasp for air. And he knew he had watched her ride away in astonishment not because she had torn from his advances...but instead because he had given her those advances in the first place.

He turned away, heard Ana's mount pad the ground behind him as she mounted him. "I shall return shortly." She said softly.

He glanced sharply at her in surprise. "Where are you going?"

She shook her head, pointed in the direction opposite of the orc encampment. "No matter, go ahead as planned."

"Where are you going?" He repeated, looking up at her with a stern glint in his eyes. He moved closer to her, reaching out to grab her arm. She pulled away, eyes flashing in irritation.

She shook her head in resignation. "There's a company of warriors just a few miles away from here...if I can get to them in time then I will bring back reinforcements."

He started, looked at her in surprise. "How do you know this?"

She twitched her fingers impatiently on the horse's mane. "It does not matter, proceed as planned and with the help of the Valar, I will be back in time. There is no other way that I will be able to help you."

He frowned, hating just then how the elven maid spoke in riddles. She didn't wait for him to reply, instead whirling her steed about and pushing him into a canter. He watched her ride off, watched as the grey horse picked up his pace...but before she was quite out of hearing range he saw her rein the horse back and look back at him.

"They don't usually work you know." She called back and he wondered if he meant their plan of rescue or the kiss he had just given to Victoria. Either way, he nodded grimly and shouted back,

"I know."

Then she was gone, disappearing beneath the snowy trees and vanishing into the misty dawn. And Legolas, raising his bow, crept closer to orc encampment, waiting for Victoria's signal.

* * *

I slowed Talorta to a walk when we were just within the borders of the camp. I'd wrapped his hooves again so that we could move silently through the forest. But my heart was beating so fast that I swore that was louder then Talorta's hooves could have ever been. 

I regretted what I had done to all those elves during my reign as Gwenél, which strangely since I had met Legolas felt as if it were over. I had relished in the fear and respect I had gotten through the alias of the ghost. I hadn't killed anyone...I had just kept them away. But them keeping them away with tricks hadn't worked...and then the orcs had captured Legolas.

Orcs had always been a problem for me...at first they had only occasionally entered the forest near the borders after the slaughter of Gilloth and during that year I had spent my time hunting down every vermin I had come across. But since the war in the East had ended, they'd become more adventurous... going deeper into the forest to hide their scaly rears. I'd had encounters with them many a time since that year...most had grown to fear me as much as the elves did. But there were something different about these particular orcs...they'd been in the forest for a while now and I knew they were looking for something.

What I wanted to know is why they wanted Legolas so badly...and why Araviniel had been helping to look for him. Araviniel had been lost to me until recently...maybe the dead just didn't stay dead after all in this place. I felt my face pale as an icy shock nearly made me puke. What if Faerlain came back too? Was that even possible? Was it possible that he still loved me? I thought I loved him...I sure didn't love Legolas...did I? Or was it that I had stopped loving Faerlian and that was what was scaring me so much? That the whole reason for my having sought revenge all these years had simply vanished?

I didn't know what to think or do and I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of my own heartbeat. I won't think on this now...I just couldn't.

We were clearing the trees...just coming into the encampment. I set my face rigidly in stone, gazing defiantly around me... But there was nobody there...not a single orc waiting for me in that encampment.

They were gone.

* * *

When no signal came from 'Gwenél', Legolas had crept to the mouth of the cave where he assumed Aragorn would have been kept. He didn't let his nervousness at there being no orcs in the clearing get to him...he swallowed it down and instead thought only of the task at hand. 

He frowned, clutching his bow a little tighter and moved closer to the entrance to the cave. He held his breath for a moment or two, knowing that the snow and leafless trees would offer him no camouflage if there were indeed orcs still out there. Slowly, he moved towards the edge of the mouth, and then slid his head around to gaze inside.

He had to fight not to let out a breath of alarm as he saw a face suddenly appear from the depths of the cave. "Legolas?" The voice breathed in amazement.

Legolas smiled weakly at him. Aragorn looked _terrible_... blood was running down the side of his face and had matted his hair in some places, his face was bruised and he was hunched over slightly, pressing a hand to his rib-cage and hinting at injuries there. All in all, the king of Gondor looked quite a sight...and an unpleasant one at that. Legolas glanced quickly again around the camp, and, upon spying no one he ducked inside the cave and gently pushed his friend out of sight.

"What are you doing here?" Aragorn hissed softly as Legolas lowered his bow, still keeping the arrow fitted as he did so.

"Rescuing you of course." Legolas replied softly, as if it were an old joke between them. It could have been...if their current situation were not looking so dire. But even as he spoke the words he frowned, he did not like the look he saw in his friend's face. He looked startled...frightened even...worried. Legolas glanced around the cave and spied an elven maid standing a few paces away.

"Lady Araviniel I presume?"

Araviniel nodded in surprise, quickly regaining her composure as she recognized him. She was about to drop into a curtsey but he shook his head and stilled her movement. "There is no time. We must leave...and quickly."

"How did you find us?"

Legolas was about to answer when a stern look suddenly passed over Aragorn's face.

"You should not have come!" Legolas glanced at him incredulously and moved towards the spot where they had been sleeping.

"And leave you here to die? Don't be stupid. Now...quickly gather anything that may be of use to us and lets get out of here." Moving towards the impressions that their bodies had made in the dirt of the floor, he realized with a jolt that no one else had survived the orcs' brutality. He felt a cold hand on his arm and he looked up sharply, finding himself meeting Aragorn's steely gaze.

"They are searching for you my friend...they have been for a long while."

Legolas gestured impatiently with his bow to the exit. "There is no time...it doesn't matter. We need to leave now before it is too late."

Aragorn looked ready to protest but Araviniel silenced him with a quick tap on his shoulder. She met Legolas' gaze through haunted eyes. "They killed our men trying to find you, my prince. What can you do to get us out of here without discovery? They will surely kill you if they find you."

"We leave _now._" He said firmly, he nodded towards the cave mouth. "Don't worry...we have a diversion." He heard soft footfalls follow him as he moved towards the exit, and he knew that the others were following him.

"Legolas please-" Hissed Aragorn, but Legolas cut him off with a sharp flick of his wrist. It didn't matter now if Aragorn was worried or not. They had to get out of here...and fast. He trained his eyes on the clearing, sweeping his gaze over the surrounding forest. He searched for any sign of life beneath the trees and he held his breath, tightening his grip upon his bow. He felt soil shift slightly beneath his feet and he poked his head out into the early morning light.

"Follow me." He whispered over his shoulder to his companions before stepping out from the mouth of the cave. He could feel his nervousness burning his in his throat. _Where is she? _He thought wildly, concentrating his mind on searching for any flicker of movement. He didn't have weapons for Aragorn and Araviniel and prayed that they would not need them. But that was when he saw her, drifting in and out of the shadows of the trees.

Both her and Talorta were glowing softly, even more eerily because they were avoiding the rays of the sun. She had let her hair down- dark locks falling in waves over her tattered clothing as the stallion walked on. He knew that she was getting ready to sing...getting ready to entice any who would show their faces. She'd be spreading the toxin as well...but as the wind blew sharply through her black garments he felt chills run down his spine as he realized how different she looked.

Memories of her kiss burned deep inside of him and he felt a fresh burst of concern as he watched her ride on. She started humming, a whispering tune that made him freeze momentarily as he recalled the haunting melody.

He heard Aragorn shift impatiently, waiting for him to give them a lead to follow. And then he froze, Legolas glanced back at him briefly, saw the human's brows furrow. "_That_...is our diversion?" He whispered in disbelief.

Legolas let a flicker of a smile flash over his face as he replied with a quick confirmation.

"But who is she?" Breathed Araviniel from behind the king.

Legolas twitched his head towards Victoria, his gaze softening. "That...is Gwenél."

He heard Aragorn let out a deep breath, saw him shaking his head out of the corner of his eye. "I hope you know what you're doing." He said softly.

"I'm sure." Legolas replied.

"Any idea where the others have gone then?" Asked the king, not taking his gaze of Victoria as she drifted eerily into the clearing. Legolas shook his head. "You owe me a full explanation when this is all over." He said, nodding towards Victoria.

Legolas half-smiled. "I know."

* * *

I could feel the wind wisping past me as if to carry my song to unfriendly ears. I smiled inwardly, despite everything this place had done to me...apparently the wind was still on my side. I could fee the pouch of silver toxin on my hip, my hand rested against my thigh as I watched and waited for my prey. And then I started to sing as I entered the encampment. 

The wing chilled me to my very bones as fear started to tug at my consciousness. _Where are they?_ No orc company could evacuate a camp so quickly and quietly...it defied reason. I glanced up at the hill Legolas and I had spied down from all night. Was it even conceivable that we could have missed them? And if so, had they left their captives? I let my gaze drift slowly down towards the mouth of the cave, searching for a sign of Legolas.

I blinked in surprise when I saw him already exiting the cave with his friend and Araviniel. _What happened to waiting for my signal!_ I blinked, part of playing Gwenél required showing as little emotion as possible besides a large dose of anger. My mentor had schooled me well in the aspect but I was finding it difficult to keep a straight face as I met his silver gaze. Fool! If the orcs were out there then they would be attacked without any warning or protection.

He was unnerved though by the orcs' absence...and even more so that they had left their prisoners behind. Ambush, I thought...but I didn't speak it aloud. I didn't know if he understood me...he never got the chance to answer. For that was when they came back...filing through the wood with their weapons raised...and all eyes concentrated on the elven prince before me.

* * *

Legolas saw the orc closest to him sneer, "Prince Legolas." It hissed softly. "We've been expecting you." 

The other orcs began to chuckle and hoot and Legolas felt grim determination settle upon him, calming his fears. Victoria wasn't doing anything yet...it was as if she had froze or was invisible as she gazed slowly at him- the orcs hadn't even realized that she was there.

_Be careful_, her eyes now begged as she stared at him through a face set in stone.

"Take the Prince _alive." _The lead orc bellowed...metal rings lining his forehead to his upper lip and his eyes colored a pallid yellow. "Kill the rest."

The orcs hooted, raising their weapons high over their heads...just before they all charged. And that was when he heard the music again...drifting through the trees on the wind. And then he heard a sharp voice cry out for them to halt and they all froze. It was then that everyone in the clearing caught sight of the ghostly maiden on her steed.

"Gwenél." Aragorn breathed behind him, and Legolas could hear grudging amazement in his voice. But no one moved as Victoria stared them all down. Her mouth was open as she sang...her eyes all alight and fiery- her face passive. And at once she fell silent, and then with a look that could have melted the courage of the bravest warrior, she turned to look at the lead orc.

"_Who dares to enter my domain?_" She called out in a commanding tone. Legolas could see some of the silver toxin swirling around on the breeze...only the faintest amount of it...but already some of the orcs were blinking in confusion. They glanced around at each other...and then their leader stepped forward, his head bowed submissively as he approached and his clawed hands each holding both sword and axe.

"Lady Gwenél." He rumbled deeply.

Victoria looked every inch a legend...her hair was blowing gently in the breeze...her torn cloths fluttering about her scarred and glowing body. Talorta's eyes drifted back and forth between the orcs. If the stallion felt any fear then...he didn't show it. He was moving so little that he hardly looked like he was even breathing.

"_Why have you entered my domain?_" She repeated icily, her voice deep and penetrating...almost completely different then anything he had ever heard from her. She locked her rigid stare upon the face of the orc leader, and the orc grimaced visibly under her glare...twitched his fingers nervously on his weapons.

"We claim rights to these captives for our master, milady."

"_What master?_" She asked serenely.

The orc blinked in uncertainty, licked its lips. "The Lord of the Wood." He began but the orc didn't finish as fire burned in Gwenél's eyes.

"_THERE IS NO LORD OF THE WOOD EXCEPT FOR ME!" _She lashed out, and the orc stumbled back as if he had been hit by a gale. He was panting in fear now. "_The captives are MINE."_ She continued and Legolas realized then that he'd been holding his breath as he recalled his first day of fear when he'd met her.

The orc looked up hesitantly at her...and then he froze... and his look of fear melted into a sneer. A sharp pain of fear flickered in Legolas' breast.

"They say you are the Mistress of the Dead, _milady._..is this true?"

Legolas saw a flicker of irritation pass over her pale face and she inclined her head briefly. "_You have said it._" She replied sharply.

"Then as Mistress of the Dead, _milady..._you must be dead yourself? A ghost?" The orc hissed.

Legolas frowned, concern clawing into his mind. _Too many questions..._ Gwenél was staring through steely blue eyes as she looked down at the orc and Talorta pawed the earth.

"_I demand that you leave my forest at once, vermin." _She spat back at the orc, shifting in the saddle and fingering the pouch of toxin. Her hand glittered in the light and it was then that Legolas noticed that the other orcs had begun to move closer.

_NO! NO! NO!_ His mind screamed in alarm. He stared at Victoria, rapid panic for her choking him, knowing then that there was no way to alert her to the orcs' retaliation.

The orc leader neared her...sneering as he looked defiantly up into her face. "But milady...ghosts don't _bleed._"

Legolas saw Victoria's eyes widen slightly as she slowly raised her hand to her cheek. There was a slender cut...with a drop of crimson blood dripping down her pale cheek.

It happened too fast for Legolas to stop it...but the orc moved in a flash and far more quickly then Legolas had ever deemed possible for their kind. He raised his jagged scimitar that he clutched in his right hand and he brought it down the length of Victoria's arm from her shoulder to just above her elbow. Victoria let out a cry of pain and the toxin she had been clutching in her hand flew as her grip went slack and a shower of crimson burst from her arm. The toxin hit the orc full in the face and he stumbled back, gasping and sputtering. He fell dead with one of Legolas' arrows in his back...but that was just when the whole glade suddenly erupted into a battlefield...

...and it was just then that Legolas realized how grossly outnumbered they were.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I hang my head in shame for the lack of updates. I was stuck because I knew what I wanted to happen next...but I had to put this whole order of events into sequence...which took a lot of time and a ton of planning. But here is a whopping chapter to apologize and to be my way of compensating for the delay. I hope I didn't lose to many of you! 

Happy Easter by the way...I ate like...all my jellybeans today as well as all my little Cadbury Chocolate eggs...YUMM! I feel like such a pig but I still have a butload more chocolate to go through. CADBURY RULES THE WORLD!

Ahem Sorry... I was surprised that I haven't had too many questions about Victoria's 'mentor', and it is a huge reference to her past and part of a big mystery as to what exactly she has been doing for the last five years. I gave you a little insight into that time period in this chapter, and it will be 'revenge of the flashbacks' soon enough in future chapters. I just thought I should mention it.

Well, I'm on vacation but I am REALLY tired...so I hope I get reviews for this chapter (crosses fingers) and hopefully you are all ready for the climax of this story! I know that kiss in here will probably be controversial... my good friend was appalled when I let her read the first draft of this story...she's kinds pro-Faerlain and kinda anti-Princey in this regard...but you'll all see what happens in time. :)

So farewell! And thanks a million for reading and reviewing! Hey...was that a long author's note or what:) Reviews are appreciated! Toodles!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	49. Flesh of my Flesh :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**I will save you."**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Nine 

Flesh of My Flesh

* * *

Early into the battle, Aragorn and Araviniel managed somehow to get weapons from the orcs. Despite both of their haggard conditions, everyone knew that this was a fight for their lives. The orcs came at them fiercely, screaming battle cries and swinging their jagged weapons. For a short while Legolas was able to shoot most of them that managed to get close to him with his arrows. None of them tried to harm him as their scaley bodies pressed in around him. 

They clawed at his clothes...their blood oozed onto his skin and their howls and screams echoed in his ears. He pulled out the white daggers he kept in his quiver, slashing in every direction as the orcs swarmed in around them. He glanced over his shoulder, Aragorn and Araviniel were fading fast... both had been injured before the attack and now it was startlingly clear that their wounds were weakening them. _Slash...shove... kick... slash... twist... slash... _

He felt warm blood trickling down the side of his face and stars exploded in his eyes. He staggered... then he felt a deadening calm steal over him... the calm of a warrior. He kept moving, blinking blood from his eyes, blocking all else from his mind beside the necessity to survive. He grunted as a scimitar tore a cut along the upper part of his back. He glanced quickly around the glade and his face fell, _there are so many... we couldn't possibly defeat them!_ He started clearing a path towards Aragorn, cracking the jaw of an orc as he hammered his fist into its skull. He was out of arrows...and they were still coming.

He was closer to Aragorn now, was fighting off orcs as his friend faltered. One filed in to deliver a killing blow to the mortal king but by the grace of the Valar, Aragorn was given the strength to fight back. Legolas glanced over his shoulder...out of the corner of his eye he could see Talorta rearing and striking the air. His hooves acted as deadly weapons as they struck down any orc who dared to come near.

Victoria was clinging to his back with one arm tied to the stallion's mane while the other uninjured arm struggled to keep her sword aloft. Her injured arm hung loosely in its socket, blood pouring from it like a stream of crimson waters. Her face was grey as she weakly parried blows from the orcs... she looked like a ghost more then ever now. And Legolas realized with a burst of fear that she would die if she didn't get help soon.

"NO!" He screamed, kicking an orc before him out of the way. She looked up sharply at his call, her face grim and her eyes cloudy.

_Don't forget me... _Those eyes seemed to whisper. And he stared in horror as an orc blade rose high above her head to cut her down... and then their was a new noise in the wood. A peal of thunder... blaring through the trees. _Horns? _He thought in confusion.

But the orcs knew exactly what the sound was and the horn sounded again. Legolas watched as everything around him seemed to tune out except for the beating of his heart...saw everything in slow motion. Felt one of his daggers wrenched from his hand and he saw an orc pull back the string of its bow to deliver a fateful blow. _So this is how it ends..._ but suddenly he heard an arrow whistle through the air and thud into the orc archer. He heard horses...lots and lots of horses...and suddenly there they were, elves pouring in through the trees and a rain of arrows falling into the orcs' ranks.

He saw them swarm into the glade and shoot the orcs down as they flew in from the forest... help had come at last... but Ana was no where to be found. The elves had already formed a protective circle around the elven lady and the King of Gondor. Legolas looked back frantically at Victoria, forgetting all of his own aches and pains which assailed his body as he searched for her. And suddenly there she was. Talorta reared and she started to open her mouth to salute the elves when out of no where he watched in horror as an arrow sailed past his head and imbedded itself in the unprotected flesh of her shoulder. Talorta screamed as another arrow caught him just under his right foreleg.

He felt sick as he watched her slump forward on Talorta's back...and his world spun as Talorta suddenly bolted into the forest. She disappeared beneath the trees...and suddenly the only orcs left in the glade were dead. He blinked as pain twinged in the back of his head again and he fought the urge to be sick.

One of the warriors approached him, face beaming. "We have found you at last, your majesty." The warrior said without a variation in his voice tone. Legolas' head swam as he replayed the image of Victoria falling limply against the horse she loved and watching as they fled into the trees.

"...one of the warriors even struck down Gwenél... not so much of a ghost as we all expected. But come my prince, you and your friends will be well attended to."

He blinked blood out of his eyes again, his vision blurred as he turned to face the elf. "_What did you say?"_

"The ghost, your majesty, they've shot her down."

The pain in his head grew too much to bear then and he turned away sharply, his stomach heaving as he vomited. He stumbled to the floor, coughing as he began to lose consciousness. But as he heard the warrior above him scream for help...only one thing rang in his mind.

_The ghost... they've shot her down... shot her down... shot her... Victoria has been shot down... shot down... _

_...Victoria is dead..._

* * *

_Somewhere in the forest..._

* * *

I blinked... but the sharp pounding in my head was making it difficult to focus. I saw Talorta laying a few feet away in the grass. No...I saw _three_ Talortas laying in the grass. I could hear his labored breathing and I could see his blood staining the frozen earth in a pool around him. 

_No... _My vision swam and I closed my eyes as another wave of pain assailed me. _God no! _He was _dying_... my Talorta was _dying_... and I was powerless to stop it.

_One day you will feel the icy numbness of death... and you will be powerless against that void. _Teacher had said that to me... my mentor... as he too had lain dying at my feet. And I'd only laughed- and coldly at that. I'd tossed his warnings to the wind...and only now did I remember those fated words.

_What have I done?_

* * *

_Five Years Previous_

* * *

_In the days and weeks that had followed, Teacher nursed my broken body back to health. He dressed my wounds, bandaged and cleaned them- but there was nothing he could do for my spirit. I felt a great emptiness inside... like a white hot darkness eating away at my being. I didn't speak with him again for a long time. _

_It was a month before I could move with a remnant of the fluidity of my former self. But I would never be the same... and both of us knew that. He had a house, built in a series of star-trees. I didn't leave the confines of my room and the kitchen for weeks. We would sit down at a table in the kitchen to eat. He always at his meals at exactly the same time. I didn't eat sometimes... for sometimes the thought of me having survived made me so sick that I'd vomit. _

_But one particular night I had sat at that table with him and had listened politely to his chatter for a while until his announced that he'd stabled my horse just outside the house. I had stiffened, looking up at him with a horrified expression on my face. I cleared my throat. _

"_Talorta...Talorta is alive?"_ _Teacher nodded, clearly pleased with my reaction. I stared at Teacher for a moment longer before I turned to stare at my plate. "I...I'd like to see him." I said. _

"_The door is open." He answered quietly. _

"_What...so you'll just let me go?" I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes. _

_He looked up at me, eyes twinkling and he spread his palms wide. "You were never a prisoner here Victoria...except in your mind." He said lightly, taking a bite into the bread on his plate. _

"_Do not call me that!" I hissed, jerking slightly in my chair. "Do not EVER call me that!" I said loudly. I was on my feet, my chair overturned behind me. _

_He didn't seem in the least bit startled. He nodded again. "Then what shall I call you, maiden?" He asked, meeting my enraged glare. _

_I blinked in surprise... I had somehow expected a challenge from him. Somehow I had hoped that he would have engaged me... would have allowed me the satisfaction of releasing the pent up rage that threatened to kill me from the inside out. Maybe then it wouldn't hurt so much... the emptiness... knowing that there was no one left in this world that I loved or loved me. _

_A name... he wanted a name... but I didn't know- didn't have the energy or will to want a word to sum up the wretched remains of my being. I fixed the chair, sank back into it- the wound from the arrow suddenly flaring up. I didn't feel like I deserved a name... somehow I knew I was at fault for _their _deaths. Somehow... though it might defy reason... I knew they would all be alive if I had never come. How could I give a name to something so evil? How could I continue living like this?_

"_I don't know." I said softly. I stared at my plate, blinking tears from my eyes. _

"_That is all right... you will find a name eventually. And when you do... you will know that the pain has lessened."_

What pain? _I wanted to ask. How could he possibly understand me? He was a stranger... and I was in exile. I bit into my own slice of bread...not because I was hungry but because I knew I would starve if I didn't eat something. I choked it down as my last tear trailed down my face. _

"_So what now?" I asked him quietly, keeping my voice soft and even as I spoke. _

_He leaned forward on the table, hands clasped before him. "I will transform you into a warrior, child, and I will piece together the remnants of your former self."_

_I looked down, and I heard him reach across the table...and I felt him gently brush his fingers across my clenched hand. I looked into his face and I saw kindness. _

"_I will save you."_

* * *

_I left the house the next day and I walked through a bower of flowers and vines and then I stepped down stairs made of curving branches. I paused when I got there... in the early morning light, I could recognize the shapes and colors of the star-flowers. Star-trees were everywhere. Teacher's house was built into a whole grove of them. The building itself was made out of wood and was fashioned as if the structure had been built into the tree in the first place. Talorta was tethered to one of the trees a few paces away. Teacher had set out a bucket of water for him as he munched on the lush grass. _

_He looked up sharply as I moved towards him, and he whinnied excitedly when he recognized me. His call froze my heart. "No." I said softly to him, nearing him as he tugged on the rope that prevented him from being closer to me. "You cannot love me, my friend."_

_I reached out to him, closed my eyes as he pressed his muzzle to my hand. He breathed on my shoulder...but I would not let the tears come. "You trusted me." I said, looking at him again and gently running my hand over his smooth neck. "But those whom I love perish." I looked into his eyes...knowing that he wouldn't understand. "I couldn't bear to lose you too." I whispered. I untied him from the tree and I hugged him. He stood still, ears flicking back and forth. I slipped the rope halter over his ears, took a step backward. _

"_Go." I said to him... but my beautiful stallion didn't budge. My gaze hardened and I angrily waved my arms at him. "Go on! Get out of here!"_

_He jumped back from me, startled and staring, ears pricked curiously. I felt tears burning in my eyes and I swatted them away in irritation. "Go you stupid animal! LEAVE ME!" I screamed. _

_Talorta reared, scared of my anger. I took a wild step towards him and he bolted. Soon I couldn't see him anymore as his hoof-beats faded from my hearing. The wind whistled through the trees and the leaves rustled. I watched dumbly as a few star-flowers fell from the trees above. They tumbled in the waning shadows...twinkling as they twirled to the ground. I involuntarily clutched the medallion Faerlain had given to me. I could no longer remember the passion in his kisses or the warmth of his caresses... nor the love in his eyes. They were lost to me... all of them._

_My knees buckled and I fell dizzily to the ground. Tears aren't easy to stop when it feels as though dying would be easier then drawing another breath. So I cried, curled up on the ground, I felt my heart bursting as I released my pain. I mourned them...and I mourned myself._

_Soon everything was cold._

* * *

_My eyes seemed to open of their own accord that next morning. I was still outside, with star-flowers drifting lazily to the ground. _

"_You seem to have faithful friends." Came the voice of my mentor. _

_Strange... had I already accepted him as that? I pushed myself up onto my elbows... ignoring the pain that I triggered from the irritated flesh of my abdomen. Talorta was there, hovering above and me as I sat up all the way_- _he eyed me curiously but he didn't move from his protective position. I smiled a little and I reached out to him_, _relishing in the warmth he gave to my frozen fingertips as he once again pressed his nose to my palm. His whiskers had grown long and they tickled my skin as he lowered his head and rubbed it against my shoulder. _

"_I tried to get a halter on him... but he wouldn't let me get close."_

_I blinked once or twice, held onto a chunk of Talorta's mane and he helped pull me up. "No... I don't imagine that he would have." I said. I gently rubbed his neck and my smile faded. "He is the flesh of my flesh... my brother. He shall go where he pleases and nothing shall bind him."_

_I turned to face Teacher- my heart cold and my face emotionless. "I am ready to be taught." I said to him. "Train me for what you will. I have nothing else to live for."_

_The old man nodded his head, he glanced at a falling star-flower and he caught it swiftly in his hand. "I have thought of a name for you." He said quietly. He crumbled the flower to dust and let the wind carry it off his hand and spread it over me. _

"_You shall be Gwenél, maiden of a star." He smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Come...you have much to learn."_

* * *

_In the Present_

* * *

_Victoria... Victoria... _I heard my name whispered on the wind and it woke me up. Instantly I regretted my choice as every conscious nerve in my body was flooded with pain. I groaned... it was snowing. I looked up at the sky, savoring the melting ice crystals on my feverish flesh. I shivered. The arrow was still imbedded in my shoulder and the arm the orc had sliced lay lifeless at my side. I groaned again in agony... and then I heard a weary whinny reach my ears. 

My eyes shot open in alarm as I remembered Talorta and I fought to focus my vision as I heard him call. He was leaving me... leaving me as all the others had. He whinnied again and with everything left in me... I dragged myself over onto my side. _Oh God... help me. _I begged. Inch by inch I dragged myself over to his body until with a thud I stilled beside him. With his forelegs facing me, I could see where the arrow had dug in deep...and then had broken off.

I knew that he was hurt badly when he didn't so much as look at me when I touched his wound. Snow had started piling up on his body... and it wasn't melting. _He's so cold..._ I placed a hand on his cheek and he finally stirred. I smiled weakly at him, wishing just then for the biggest painkiller in the world right now for him.

"Hey my brave boy." I said softly, stroking his cheek. Talorta breathed heavily and closed his eyes. I stroked his neck with shaking hands. _Don't do this to me. _"Remember the barn back home Talorta? Remember what it was like before Zach died?" I felt tears running down my cheeks but I didn't bother to stop them. "Remember how we used to compete in those days? All our blue ribbons?" I moved as close as I could to him without touching the arrow head still stuck in his shoulder. All these frozen memories... colder then ice in my heart. Why did I bother to recollect them now? What was the point?

"I was so proud of you." I whispered, I laid my head on his neck...could feel him breathing on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and listened to him breathe... listened to the slowing beat of his heart.

"I loved you every second since the moment I saw you. I... I can even remember that day when you were born." His breathing slowed and I sniffed. "Oh my God Talorta... I was proud of you even after Zach died. You are my best friend."

The tears came harder now and I snaked my arm as far as I could on his neck, ignoring the pain from my own arrow wound. _Flesh of my flesh... my brother. _"I love you."

I squeezed my eyes closed tight and I let my breathing slow to match his. _Life is a dance..._ "Please don't leave me." I whispered to him. I remembered jumping with him in the stadium, laughing when we went swimming, the joy of galloping over green meadows, smiling when we gave rides to those little elven kids. _Don't take him from me... let us go on like this... forever..._

"_You see, that is something you mortals understand. The dance does not end for you, you enjoy it to its fullest. When its over, well, there is only a new one to begin. I think that is what I envy most about your kind, the unknown adventure. Death is only a new dance. And when you see it, I don't think you ever regret that you began it... and that you truly lived to dance it."_

When my body grew so cold that it numbed my pain... I realized that Talorta had stopped breathing. I was too exhausted to cry, I only hugged his cold body closer. _Two brothers... gone._

My Talorta... he was dead.

* * *

**A/N: **I don't know what it was that brought this heavily depressing chapter on... I didn't think I was this depressed when I wrote it... it just happened. I'm sorry...you all must hate me. I hate me too... I'm the biggest Talorta fan that you'll ever get... trust me. (Sniffle, sniffle) I need some tissues... :( 

... On a light note, I have designed a website for SIMA. One mostly for blends and coverart for the story, but also to give you some visuals for the characters. I only have Victoria, Araviniel and Legolas (he was the easiest) of course, but I plan to have all the major characters up there in due time.

**Ok, I had the link up here previously but I noticed that wasn't letting me write it out properly. I apologize! If you want to visit my SIMA website, the link is listed at the bottom of my author's bio.**

I am now going into mourning for my beloved Talorta. More angst to come so don't sit back yet! Thanks so much for all of your glowing support. I wouldn't be anywhere without the love of my readers! (Snuggles) And I hope I gave you a bit of a mystery to chew on. Here, lets recap:

Why did Victoria's Teacher die?

Why did the orcs want Legolas?

What's Thranduil going to think about Legolas' new love interest?

Will anyone believe Victoria if she survives?

Oh yeah, I apologize now for sounding so 'Star Wars'-ey up there when I was talking about 'teacher'. It just sort of happened. I was thinking about Obi-wan the whole time tough... and Anakin too for some reason. (shrugs) What can you do... Star Wars rules the world second to Narnia and Middle-earth!

I apologize also for any errors I might miss (do feel free to point them out to me) and thanks to my beta, Kiann. And thanks again for reading and (hopefully) reviewing!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	50. Searching For a Ghost :: Part Two

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**_All people fear what they do not know." Teacher said simply. "And elves especially do not know death. We shall turn you into a _ghost_." _**

* * *

Chapter Fifty 

Searching For a Ghost

* * *

"In which direction did she ride?" Legolas asked of the warrior before him. 

The elf frowned, "It is difficult to say milord-"

"Take a guess!" He snapped. Another elven healer was at his side, bandaging cuts here and there as he sat on a log with his tunic clenched tightly in his hands. The snow flakes which were falling now sent tingles down his spine as they landed and then melted upon his skin... no so much because he was cold but instead because he knew Victoria was wounded out there somewhere... and he'd been unconscious too long to do anything about it.

Besides... being fussed over by a healer never put him in a particularly good mood... but being unaware of the whereabouts of someone he loved just made him plain foul. Aragorn was sleeping in a tent a little ways off... the healer had promised to attend to the human again once the Prince's bandages were in place. Araviniel was still awake, a blanket was draped around her shoulders and a bowl of steaming soup was in clutched tightly in her hands. Her eyes looked hollow as a warrior knelt by her side and whispered to her words meant only for her ears.

But Victoria was not here... no... and that was making else about having been rescued wrong. _She was innocent! _His mind screamed, raging over the injustice of it all. She deserved a public apology... a reward for having rescued him... anything but this... _anything. _He no longer cared what anyone else felt about her... he just wanted to _find _her. The warrior before him mellowed, stiffening into a more attentive pose.

"Reports say that her horse bolted into a more eastern direction milord... but they are unsure as the snow has started to cover any trail that they would have been able to follow."

Legolas sighed heavily... east. The entirety of Eryn Lasgalen could hide someone like Victoria forever and all he had were rumors of the direction she had fled. _She trusted me... and one of my own warriors went off and shot her. _The thought made him burn in fury all over again.

"Finished, milord." Said the healer softly to his right. Legolas stood abruptly, ignoring the twinges of pain that reminded him that he wasn't entirely invincible. He pulled his tunic over his head and tied up the clasps, then moved to reach for his bow. His quiver, newly stocked with arrows, he slung over his shoulders- briefly checking the condition of his white- handled daggers before he did so, and then he tied his bow down as well.

"I am going to need a horse." He said to the warrior once his weapons were secured.

The warrior frowned again. "You are going after her, milord?"

He nodded, gesturing eastward as he fought to hide a rising irritation. _Victoria never called me anything besides my name. _"If her horse was injured as well then they would not have gotten far."

"Will all due respect, your majesty..." (Legolas fought the desire to narrow his eyes) "... it would be... most ... _unwise_ to travel on your own."

Legolas considered this for a moment, thinking on all of the other lives that had been lost going out on these search trips already. But he knew the company assembled here probably had strict orders not to let him out of their sight once they had rescued him. "Four warriors may accompany me. If you receive no word from us by dusk then you can come searching for us."

The warrior, now looking distinctly uncomfortable, protested. "But the king commanded-"

"Hang the king!" Legolas said sharply. The glade fell silent as the other elves turned to look at him in astonishment. Leveling his voice, he spoke again. "You have found me... I will see to it that I will not be lost again."

The warrior clamped his open mouth shut and nodded mutely. He turned away, "I will get you a horse." He said briefly, then walked off.

Legolas hadn't meant to snap at the warrior whom he knew was only trying to do his duty in protecting him. _Which I no doubt need considering all the trouble I have gotten myself into lately..._

"Off on another adventure?" He heard a voice say softly from behind him. It was Araviniel. Bruised and battered, she still held the regal beauty of the elves beneath the layers of blood and grime that coated her body.

"You should be resting." He said lightly.

She shrugged, "I will find no rest here." She glanced around the glade and she shuddered. "Too many memories..." She stopped, turned to look at him apologetically. "I can hear their screams still sometimes." Legolas nodded in understanding but said nothing otherwise. Tipping her chin up she continued, "I want to go with you."

Legolas shook his head. "You are in no condition-"

She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I know Lord Aragorn would have wanted to be with you... but he is in worse condition then I." She gestured over her shoulder. "The orcs would have killed him if you had not intervened when you did. They wanted to break the bones in his body one by one for not telling them where you were."

Legolas winced... he hated the fact that Aragorn had suffered for his sake... and he felt worse then guilty about how his friend had risked all to come find him. The early rays of sunlight caught the elf-maiden's face. "She told me about you." He said quietly. Araviniel said nothing, she glanced momentarily at the ground. "Why did you want to find her now? Why after so long?"

She met his gaze and half-smiled... but it was a regretful sort of expression. "That is a tale for another day." She replied softly.

He crossed his arms over his chest... noticing for the first time how cold it was getting. He didn't have a lot of time... Victoria could be dead or dying at this rate. "Can you ride?"

She nodded. "I am in... able... physical condition, milord." She answered slowly.

"Very well." He gestured to her ragged clothing. "Get some warmer clothes and mount up." She inclined her head and then turned to do as he had commanded. "Lady Araviniel..." He called after her suddenly. Memories from Victoria's explanation of who she was filtered back into his mind. "Faerlain...your brother... he was a good friend."

Araviniel stared blankly at him, opened her mouth to speak. "How did you-"

"Gwenèl." He persisted. "You realize who she is... do you not?"

Araviniel stared at him for a moment, then averted her gaze to the trees. "Yes... I do."

He hesitated, his own fears rising in his throat and threatening to choke him. "You know... you know the chances of her... of her having _survived_..." He couldn't bring himself to say it and he felt a small hand squeeze his shoulder. He looked up, saw her nod with sad eyes.

"I know."

* * *

_Five Years Past..._

* * *

"I will teach you the ways of a warrior... I will make you an unstoppable force. No one will contradict you and all shall respect you. You shall be all you could ever be." _That was what Teacher had said to me on my first day of training. Every day from dawn to well past dusk, Teacher would train me. _

_I'd eat in the mornings and then he'd start my physical training. At first it was more like physical therapy as I gained back the use of my limbs with renewed vigor. He would teach me how to train in top physical performance... and accomplish what needed to be done through pain. After we ate at noon, he would train my spirit. I had to become a rock- unpenetrable. An actor per say- I was never allowed to let my enemy know my emotions. _

_I was taught how to discover weaknesses... how to exploit them... how to interrogate a living being. Most important of all... Teacher taught me how to forget. Not all things... no. He taught me how to thrive in my anger and to use it as an asset. But he also taught me how to forget the ghosts of my past... those who had left me behind. I hunted the orcs who had slaughtered my village and I guarded the borders of Teacher's gílorn realm. My name and reputation spread. _

_I ambushed my first elf one cold December night. Let them blame me for what happened to Gilloth... I would make them pay for leaving it unprotected. Teacher told me I was strong... and every day I would see less of the old man who had rescued me and more of my conniving master. Teacher was many things... but he was not a fool. He told me to start bringing home my victims' weapons... I never told him that I could never bring myself to kill them. I had to sharpen my techniques... and I could take them down in a matter of minutes when I found them alone. _

_He hung the weapons as trophies in the great hall. I never commented on them... but I'd always feel a rush of pride as I tasted the satisfaction of my revenge. Teacher taught me to forget that those I loved had ever been elves, and in doing so, he taught me to hate their kind. He schooled me in history, he taught me of the recent war in the East and of Sauron- the deceiver. He taught me how to kill... but never to love. I never loved Teacher... but I did love Talorta. _

_Never the less, one day when I was patrolling the forest- I wasn't careful enough and they captured me. It was the first year of my reign of terror. I had lulled one of them into what I had considered a trap... it would have been simple. The warrior had come alone into my part of the forest. Confident and cocky, I strode boldly up to him... counting more on his fear of my then anything else. _

_I shouldn't have been so stupid. _

_The other warriors who filed out into the forest as soon as I attacked out-numbered me twenty to one... I had no chance against them. I was taken captive and led back in chains to their encampment. _

* * *

_In the Present, in the Northeastern parts of Eryn Lasgalen_

* * *

The snow had started to cover any signs they might have found in the bare earth as the elven company pushed on. Scouts kept a vigil, glancing up constantly into the barren canopies for any signs of life. Legolas didn't blame them for their nervousness... the orcs had ambushed them far too many times. But you could almost see a hint of pride in their expressionless faces now... for they now knew for certain that the ghost of Eryn Lasgalen was flesh and blood and that she had been shot down. Shot down by one of their own. After a five year reign of terror... that alone was reason enough to give courage to the faintest of hearts. 

Yet it did nothing to instill hope in the heart of Legolas, Prince of Eryn Lasgalen, as the snow started to destroy any hope he still clung to of discovering the whereabouts of the ghostly imposter. No, instead it filled him with dread- especially knowing that the longer they spent looking for Victoria, the lesser the chances of finding her became. His insides twisted as he recalled the orc blade slicing her arm... and then the light colored elven arrow thudding into her flesh. _All my fault... it is all my fault. _He gritted his teeth and set himself to concentrate on the search once again.

He _would _find Victoria... and if the Valar were with him she would be all right.

* * *

After two hours they found the first sign that they had found her trail. It was an empty brown pouch half-covered with snow. Legolas peered inside it once he had dismounted and examined it. He could still see the faint traces of the star-flower dust still visible on the inside. He glanced back at the rest of them, straightening. 

"She has been here... not too far ahead by the way this was buried."

So he mounted again and they pressed forward, the weakest of grim hopes rekindled deep inside of him... as well as the desperate desire to hold the _living _body of Victoria once more in his arms.

* * *

_Five Years Past..._

* * *

_They were not kind to me in my captivity... but through some bluffing and a great rouse by Talorta, I escaped mainly because they had underestimated me. _

_I was captured twice more after that. The third time I received a rather harsh beating... mainly because I nearly killed the elf I had been so foolish to attack. (1) And I realized as I got away that I had been far to careless... and that they no longer feared me. _

_Teacher sat down with me the night I returned and he tended to the cuts and bruises I'd acquired_ _during my stay with the elves. I sat still beneath his administrations, letting no hint of my pain appear on my face. _

"_We must not let this happen again." Teacher said as he wiped some salve on a cut decorating my right forearm. I nodded in agreement. My escape this time had been a close one... and costly. It would next to impossible to pull it off again... if it ever happened again. Which it was sure to if I didn't change something soon. _

"_They no longer fear me." I said through tightened lips. Teacher finished tying the knot of my bandage and he wiped his gnarled hands on a towel. _

"_Well... we can remedy that." He mused aloud. "They venture too close to our borders... too close, too bold."_

_I slid a fresh, black tunic over my thin undergarments and I twisted in the chair to face him. Teacher, like myself, was an expert at hiding his emotions. But there was a gleam in his hazel eyes that gave away his eagerness. He looked up at me and with a quick jerk of his hand, he gestured towards the cellar door. _

"_Come." He said. "I have something to show you."_

_I rose, hooking my belt around my waist that held my scimitar scabbard at my side and then I paced him. I'd never been in the cellar... it had always been unnecessary. I only did things that were necessary_**- **_anything else only got me in trouble. It was well lit down there, even in the darkness of the earth. There were small windows shining fading sun rays into the room. _

_There were shelves stocked with food and other provisions which included a few bundles of clothing and other tools stacked up on a few wooden tables. And there was another door. To this he led me and he paused when he touched the handle. _

" _I have been working on something that just might work to our advantage."_

_I nodded for him to continue and he swung the door open. There was a table in the center with various glass and wooden tubes and cases scattered upon it. There were bottles of power of all sorts of colors... it looked something like a primitive chemistry set. Lining the walls however were shelves, shelves filled with clear jars containing silver power. _

"_I have been developing this for some time now." He said, reaching for a jar and plucking it off a nearby shelf. He gestured for me to take it and I held the jar out curiously in my hand, examining it closely. _

"_What is it?" _

"_A toxin." He replied, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Made from star-flowers. When inhaled it gives the victim temporary to long term amnesia and renders them unconscious with feverish side effects for days depending upon how much is inhaled."_

_I looked up at him, set the jar down on a nearby shelf. "What does this have to do with me?" I massaged my forearm as I spoke, caressing the tender flesh under the crisp bandages._

_A small smile wormed its way onto the old man's face. "The Elves of Mirkwood (2) hate you as an elf-slayer... but we could change that."_

_My brows raised. "How?"_

"_By making them fear you instead." He grasped my arm and pulled me over to a section of his table. _

"_How will we make them fear me?" I asked scornfully as he reached for a bowl of paste. "I have no troops... I am not even a real elf-slayer. What am I to do to _make _them fear me?"_

_Teacher surprised me as he smeared the silvery paste onto my face. Then he held up a looking glass and motioned for me to take it. My eyes widened as I viewed my reflection... I was _glowing_. A soft, whitish sort of glow from skin that now appeared whiter then snow. My eyes shone brightly like beacons in a stormy night. "What shall I become?" I whispered in awe._

"_All people fear what they do not know." Teacher said simply. "And elves especially do not know death. We shall turn you into a _ghost_." _

* * *

_So I became Gwenél... the ghost of Mirkwood. They did not capture me again. The first time I attacked an elf using the powder... he had been alone. A boy... not more then fourteen by human standards. I hadn't wanted to hurt him... I tried mainly to avoid children and civilians... which Teacher told me time and again was foolish. But I didn't listen to him... they were not guilty of Gilloth's slaughter. They did not have innocent blood on their hands. _

_But once the boy saw me, glowing evanescently in the fading light, I knew I had no choice. I told myself later that it was an accident as I played the part of the ghost and poisoned him with the star-flower dust. But I knew that as that elf shook with fever... that I was enjoying every minute. _

_I was Gwenél and no one dared to enter my dominion. _

* * *

_Teacher always made it a habit to hide his ears beneath his bushy white mane... I never knew why. But we both changed in the years that followed. Soon Teacher wanted to send me out further from the borders of the star-tree forest. He grew greedy, demanding that I bypass travelers and_ _steal their valuables. I was no better then a common thief... but soon no one would enter the northern wood. It was the fourth year of my reign... I was sleeping outside, my back to tree and Talorta was stretched out by my side. _

_At times he reminded me of a dog... loyal to the end, always so playful... but too stupid to know that you should ditch your master for a better life. But I guess horses are horses... there's no changing them. He'd sleep for an hour every day when he could squeeze it in, stretched out on his side, demanding that I care for him... but I didn't mind. _

_I knew a good portion of the forest like the back of my hand... but I realized then that I'd never traveled outside of its borders. Was I afraid? Teacher had taught me to never show my fear... but he'd also never commanded me to stay inside the forest. Yes... he'd schooled me in the ways of the world... told me what had been happening in the great beyond... but what exactly was the great beyond?_

_What did this place hold beyond these trees? Teacher explained to me once that there were other countries... countries where there were no elves... countries where orcs never roamed and ghosts were the stuff of myths. Such an idea felt fresh in my mind... new. Like a gleam of hope in my dark world. What lay beyond those trees where I had been enslaved for so long? Where did the leafy canopies end?_

_Teacher was becoming a tyrant... locking himself away for hours at a time in his laboratory in the cellar. Most times he would come up for supper in a foul mood. I did the worked that needed to be done throughout the day. I would train on the rope jungle Teacher had set up before our noon meal. Sometimes I'd read some of his numerous books. Most of the time I'd simply do his bidding. But Teacher rarely saw the sun anymore... neither did I for that matter. Teacher ordered me to wear the glow paste at all times... but it only worked when you stood in the sun. I had grown to despise what Gwenél was becoming... and liking less and less what it was doing to my mentor. _

_I wanted it all to stop. _

_So as I sat there, beneath those trees... I realized that there was truly nothing keeping me from my desire to explore those lands... I wanted to never see another elf again. I wanted to forget that I had ever been a part of this forest and of the magic bound to it. So I roused Talorta and I galloped him hard to the edge of the forest. It was just before dawn... there was a light mist drifting through the trees. And that was when I first glimpsed the lands beyond Mirkwood._

_And that was when I realized that it was over._

* * *

_I didn't ambush the company of elves as Teacher had instructed me to do. I rode and night back to_ _the house in the trees... brooding on my past in the silence. Things had been fine when I had been merely hunting orcs... they only plagued me occasionally now but Teacher seemed more interested in pleasure... not justice. But the orcs of Mirkwood were forming a group... and someone was in command of it. Someone they called the 'Lord of the Woods'. And rumor had drifted among the forest that this 'Lord' had called for the slaughter of Gilloth. _

_I knew if I ever met him... if there ever was such a man... that I would kill him. So I rode back home... alone with my own thoughts beside for Talorta as I searched for Teacher. _

_The glade stunk of orc when I reined Talorta in... he snorted nervously. I dismounted swiftly and silently and bade him to run into the trees for safety. I withdrew my gleaming scimitar and I gripped the handle tightly. I didn't like when I sensed in the air... I didn't like it at all. _

_I was right. I started as an orc walked calmly from the front door and strode down the stairs. He never had a chance to even spit before I had decapitated him from behind. I ran inside... and I found Teacher in the trophy room... with two more. I didn't let him speak... I killed them both before either of us could say a word. And then we were left alone... Teacher stood stunned before me as their dark blood stained the wood of the floor. _

_I didn't know what to say at first. I noted the bow clutched tightly in his hands. It was a new one... and I had not given it to him. I frowned and he looked disoriented. He scowled when he noticed I had come back empty handed. _

"_Were you unsuccessful then?" _

_He was insane... what on earth had three orcs been doing in my house? Why was he ignoring the fact their dead hides were now stinking up the room? I narrowed my eyes suspiciously but if he wanted to play at this game, I could go along with it. I lowered my weapon and moved into a more defensive position, glancing out of the corner of my eye for any sign of more orcs. I saw none. _

"_I never fail at anything you set me to Teacher." I said icily, moving across the soiled floor towards him. "I chose not to attack them."_

_His eyes bulged. "You what!"_

_I stood, feet equally distanced as I tipped my chin up. "I want this to stop." I said firmly, staring at him through steeled, blue eyes. _

_He lowered the bow in his hand, contemplating my answer. "You want to stop?" He repeated. _

_I nodded once and answered. "I no longer wish to impersonate a ghost. I am leaving."_

_His gaze hardened and he tightened his grip on the bow. He squared his shoulders and I wondered if he was seriously considering taking me on. "You want to quit... is that it?"_

_I nodded again, and I glanced at the bow in his hand as he tried to formulate an answer to my demand. My heart stopped and I felt my insides quiver. For carved into the side of the bow was the exact replication of the medallion Faerlain had given to me the night he had proposed. _

_My voice shook as I pointed at it. "Where did you get that?"_

_Temporarily shaken, he followed my hand and hastily shrugged. "You gave it to me... remember?" He was nervous. _

"_No... I didn't."_

_Something was terribly wrong here. I looked straight into his eyes and he recoiled. "It is nothing." He said, clearly flustered, he tried to back away from me too quickly... a small, slender vial fell from his breast pocket. _

_He grabbed for it, but I got it first. "What is this?" I demanded, holding the vial up to the light. It was filled with a queer, clear substance... one that sparkled with the faintest traces of star-flowers. But my face blanched as I caught sight of an inscription carved into the side. _

_It read: _Faerlain, son of Alphril

_My head whirled... and I exploded. Moving faster then even I deemed possible, I darted forward and slammed Teacher against a wall. He cried out in fear and pain but he was no match for me as I lifted his half-staved, frail body off the floor and further up onto the wall. _

"_Where did you get these? What has happened here?" I asked icily. Teacher kicking uselessly as his face started to turn red from lack of air and fright. "WHERE DID YOU GET THESE?"_

_Teacher wasn't nearly as strong as I... it was like toying with a child. He gasped as I pressed the blade of my bloodied scimitar to his neck... and traced a shallow cut across the skin there. "I hired another assassin..." He gasped. _

"_LIAR! I am SWORN to kill these vermin! What have you DONE!" I let him fall hard to the floor and I kicked him full in the face. He reeled from my blow and I followed him. "You've been dealing with them... haven't you?" I hissed. It was all coming together now. But something else made me freeze as if I'd been stabbed in the gut. I looked down in horror at the old man. _

"_You're the Lord of the Wood... aren't you? You're the one they've been whispering about?"_

_Teacher looked truly and genuinely terrified now. "You are mistaken-"_

_I let my blade slide cleanly through his shoulder and he gasped and writhed in pain as I drew it back out. "Do not _lie _to me." I hissed, licking my lips as he panted in pain. He panicked then. He reached for one of his jars but I sliced him again, wrenched the jar from his grasp and smashed it against his head. He fell limp to the floor... unfortunately still very much alive. I leaped over the bodies of the still orcs, the vial clutched in my hand, to the table where I knew Teacher kept his most important papers. And there it was... just as I had expected it to be. _

_It reeked of orc... and there were two copies. Both were dirtied... as if the parchment had been handed roughly for a number of years. I spread both out on the table. At first they appeared only to be diagrams of troop movements... something you might study in a history book. _

_But then I noticed that the lines of troops were labeled, 'orcs'. And that the target they had been ordered to attack bore the name, 'Gilloth'. _

* * *

_In The Present..._

* * *

The trek to through the forest was long... and with the snow falling the soon lost the trail. Once he thought he saw Ana, standing rigid and transparent among the barren trees. She urged him on... giving him a path to follow and somehow he knew not to question her even as her ghostly form disappeared as if she'd never been there at all. But at long last, they discovered what they had been looking for. 

Legolas spied it before any of the others and he quickly ordered them all to a halt. He dismounted, turned to face them all.

"Wait for me here."

The only one who looked ready to protest was Araviniel. But she quickly clamped her mouth shut when he glanced in her direction and then nodded mutely. Legolas led his horse carefully through the trees, his heart hammering in his chest. _Please be here... please be alive. _He prayed urgently. Then he stopped... the snow swirled about him, the tiny flakes dropping noiselessly to the ground in clusters. And there she was.

He knew Talorta was dead almost instantly as he looked upon them. The horse was stiff and cold, and the snow around his wound had been stained a dark crimson. He felt his insides churn as he thought of the horse grazing lazily beneath the trees only that previous day. Dead because of his foolish mistake. His eyes traveled, resting upon the still form laid beside the body of the dead horse. His breath caught in his throat and he started.

She didn't move as he approached her, her eyes were closed with the tell-tale signs of a frozen sleep. Ice coated her long eyelashes where her tears had fallen and her skin had taken on a bluish tint. He knelt beside her, hardly daring to breathe as he reached out to touch her shoulder. Shock tingled through his hand as his fingers brushed her bare skin.

_She was alive. _

* * *

**CONCLUSION OF PART TWO**

* * *

**A/N: **You guys, I am SO sorry for this horrible delay! My computer broke and its off getting fixed right now but I had no way to tell anyone until today. I'm on my sisters' computer right now and to make a long story very short, I do plan to get back on my usual updating schedule. This chapter was full of flashbacks and such and we're going to be getting deeper into some more angst soon. Yep... it's my specialty though I will once again remind everyone that I hate sad endings so I do write happy endings for my own stories... but whether or not you consider it happy is entirely up to you. :) 

When I say conclusion of part two it basically means that I'm starting part three... so don't be alarmed! This story isn't over yet... though it will be the longest I've ever written. :)

I have to go now... it's nearly midnight and I have to work tomorrow! Forgive any errors you spot and I'm sorry for not responding to many of your reviews... fanfiction was down and between that and my computer... I just wasn't having an excellent week. I hope you enjoy the chapter though and thanks a million to those of you who have reviewed, it means the world to me! And thanks a million to my beta, Kiann:)

**(1) **I know elves treated their captives excellently. This is just a bit of AU here... just wanted to drop you all a line in case I offended any canon fans. :)

**(2)** Just so no one gets confused, Eryn Lasgalen is Mirkwood renamed. Thranduil renamed it after the War of the Ring was concluded. But I switch back and forth with the names depending on who is saying it. Araviniel calls it Mirkwood and Aragorn calls it Eryn Lasgalen. I just wanted to clear that up a bit. :)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	51. Guilty :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**I killed Faerlain." **

* * *

**PART THREE**

Chapter Fifty-One

Guilty

* * *

I don't know when my tears stopped or when I started to feel so tired. I'd gotten sick out in the forest before and I knew I should be finding shelter just about now... but I couldn't bring myself to move- even if I had wanted to. "_I won't leave you... I won't ever leave you." _I whispered fiercely to the still body of Talorta... my dearest friend. Soon I couldn't feel the snow anymore and I felt sunshine on my face. I looked up... and I saw Zachary smiling at me. His hand felt warm and gentle on my skin... there was no more pain. 

"_Not yet Victoria... wake up Victoria... wake up."_ He said to me.

But I couldn't. I closed my eyes as weariness overtook me again and my consciousness drifted. _I won't ever leave you. _

_...Never recover... she won't ever recover... seven years...too long in a coma...never recover...terribly sorry Mrs. Knightengale... terrible sorry..._

The wind rustled through the lifeless trees and again I heard Teacher's words echoing in my head. "_One day you will feel the icy numbness of death... and you will be powerless against that void."_ It was all my fault... I knew it now... all my fault the attack had failed... all my fault that Talorta was dead... all my fault that my own life was slipping between my fingers. Ironic... I would die now when for the first time in five years I wished I could have lived. I thought of Legolas... of his warm lips seeking my own. And I cried.

The sunshine faded and Zach's encouraging face slowly started to disappear. "_Hang on Vic...just a little longer..." _It was cold again but I was so numb that I could hardly feel it. I clutched Talorta's mane and I let my tears trail down my cheeks. The harsh wind tore at my body, my breathing was coming in gasps and I squeezed my eyes closed tight. _Hold on Victoria... hold on Vi-_

"-ctoria!" I clung closer to Talorta and the pain came in waves once more. Someone was calling my name and I could hear it as if in a dream over the wind and the snow. "Victoria!"

I couldn't find the strength to move as I felt something warm touch my shoulder. I willed my eyes to flutter open as I heard the voice whisper my name again. It pulled me away from Talorta but I was too weak to protest as I was enveloped in someone's arms. He was so warm... and I smiled weakly as I looked up... recalling the smell that I could imagine to be the aroma of heaven just then. "_Legolas..."_

* * *

She was so weak... so helpless as he knelt beside her in the snow and cradled her in his arms. She'd broken off the shaft of the arrow, but the tip was still imbedded in the flesh of her shoulder. She was shivering...ice crystals had formed on her eye lashes. She opened her blue eyes and looked up at him, despair in her gaze as she smiled weakly at him. "Legolas." She whispered as he tenderly caressed her cheek. 

The wind was dying down... the snow drifted on the faint gusts and twirled softly about them- the forest was silent. "I found you." He said softly. "I will bring you back... and then you will be all right."

Her smile faded and a frown creased her frozen features. "Legolas..." Her words were choked and remnants of tears ran down her cheeks. "Talorta-"

He placed a finger on her lips, silencing whatever else she'd been trying to say. "He died with honor."

He felt her body stiffen beneath him and she closed her eyes momentarily as if to hold back tears. Reaching up, he pulled a heavy blanket from his saddled and began to wrap it as tightly as he could around her, moving her limps carefully and applying pressure to the arrow wound.

"I failed him... I should have stopped them... should have... but I just... couldn't..."

He shook his head and cradled her gently. "You have done nothing wrong. I can prove you are innocent... you will be able to walk free." Her gaze was clouded and drifting. He sought to instill hope in her again... to bring the fire back to those eyes. "We will not have to stay here, Victoria. We will go far away... where no one can hurt us anymore."

She shook her head, her lower lip trembling. She was afraid. "No." She shifted, grimacing as she turned her head and gazed straight into her eyes. "We have to go back...I need to... to turn myself in... I... they... they need to arrest me." Her gaze was so far away... as if she was looking at him from the bottom of murky depths. "I need to go back to the Palace."

He frowned, his insides freezing as she struggled to breathe. She couldn't... it wasn't possible... "No Victoria... you just do not understand-"

She quieted him and sighed in resignation. "I am not innocent Legolas." She winced again, this time as if the memory of something pained her.

"I killed Faerlain."

* * *

_Years Past in the Star-Flower Forest..._

* * *

_Teacher was stubborn... I had said it countless times over. But what I was realizing only now what a fool he was... and how naive I had been to have been blind to it. I demanded an answer from him once I discovered Faerlain's name inscribed on the vial... a vial of which I had never seen the likes of before. My mind swirled with long buried memories as I sought for any possible recollection of the vial when I had known Faerlain... but I found not a one. _

_My heart beat wildly against my breast as I remembered him... remembered his smile, his kisses, his laughter. And it wounded me deeper then any blade could as I thought of him dead once more. Dead... and at my mentor's hand. The thought made me burn in rage. _

_I locked Teacher in his subterranean laboratory... and I waited fro him to break. Teacher, however, was resilient. And it took days. Four days to be exact before he started to beg for food. I wondered wistfully it he had accidentally devoured his silver poison that I had delivered to the Elves of Mirkwood for so long... I was disappointed however when I found him still thriving in the cell I had made for him. _

_I entered the dark room, and I held a loaf of freshly made bread tauntingly away, only inches from his face... but I did not give it to him. Yet he wouldn't break... even then. So I tried other things. It wasn't difficult, after all, Teacher had been instructing me in the art of torture for years now... I was a master. I burned his books... I smashed his poisons... I beat him... and when that wouldn't work- I tied him to a tree and struck him with a long, hooked whip. _

_I was strong from my long years of training and his skin grew torn and bloodied under the lashes. Even then, he didn't break until a stray blow cut him across the face and tore at his left eye. He screamed for me to stop and in panting breaths he answered my questions as I flicked stray drop of his blood nonchalantly off my arm. _

"_I ordered them_ _to attack Gilloth for the vial."_

_My arm lowered, slowly. "Why?" I demanded flatly. _

_He strained his neck to look round at me. "The vial..." He wheezed. "Contains a liquid made from the star-flowers. It was created by a healer called Mirlaic several hundred years ago... thousands perhaps... I am no longer certain."_

_My hear clenched and my blood ran cold. But Teacher had taught me well how to deal with my foes... and now he was my enemy. _

"_The liquid is a powerful healing device... heals nearly every malady. But it takes a lengthy amount of time to produce. It was only given to elven children born in the village in the following years. They were gifted with the vial at birth by the village elders... and they were sworn to secrecy when they came of age. Few knew of the liquid's existence outside Gilloth." He stirred with excitement. "But it makes a potent toxin it brewed correctly. A toxin that could wipe out generations of elves in a matter of days!" _

_This man... if that was what he truly was... was_ insane. _A homicidal murderer... and I had been his pawn. I jabbed him hard in the wound of his left shoulder and he cried out in pain. "Who are you to order the death of an entire race? Who are you to claim that right of judgement?"_

_His eyes were ablaze and blood stained his tattered garments. "I was wronged." He hissed. _

_Scowling, I cut the binds holding up his right arm so that his full weight hung from his wounded arm. He grit his teeth and moaned. _You made me old man... tell me why you have done this. _I grabbed the front of his tunic and I pulled his body off the bark of the soiled tree. "Why did you kill them?" I said, hissing into his twisted face and feeling satisfaction as pain flickered in those hazel eyes. _

"_Why would you kill _him_?" I demanded, holding Faerlain's vial up to his face with the inscription facing towards him. _

_He read it mutely... and then he blinked, his eyes widened in realization... and then narrowed in disgust. "You loved one of them? You _loved _one of them?" He recoiled from my touch and I snarled, hurling him back against the tree and feeling elation as I heard a sharp crack resound from somewhere in his shoulders. _

"_Do not toy with me, old man." I said flatly. "You have no business in whom I have or have not loved."_

"_They are the evil ones, Gwenél! They are the ones who ruined both of our lives!"_

_I shook my head, revolted that he would dare compare himself to me. "No... I am different from you. I am not like you."_

"_Really?" He laughed harshly. "My master told me about them... my master was the wizard of white... savior of the world. HE told me how they hated us... HE told me how to kill them." He blinked, as if recollecting something and he smiled wistfully. "He said so... he told me what to do." He cackled wildly turned to look at me again and he grinned. _

_My mind scrambled to recall anyone in the histories that Faerlain, Mirlaic, and Teacher himself had taught me who bore the name of 'Wizard in White'. I blinked in astonishment. "You paid homage to Saruman? The white wizard?" Teacher licked his lips as I said that name and I struck him in repulsion. "You twisted fool... believing the words of a half-wit wizard."_

"_No... my master was cunning... it was he who ordered the attack on Mirkwood you know." He peered closer at me and I fought the desire to grimace under that crazed stare. "But you... you were so easy to manipulate Victoria... it was so easy to turn you against them." He sneered at me and I found that I was having trouble breathing. "I might have given the orders... but you hated them as much as I. You killed them... didn't you Victoria?" _

_My former name made me grimace and I gnawed my teeth as his words struck a chord deep inside of me. It wasn't true... I had never... I never..._

"_No?" Teacher said, as if reading my thoughts. "That boy... the one you used the powder on. Gruglock found him in the woods... I knew you wouldn't tell me about him. He found him all right... he was stiff by the time they found him in the woods... but his company found him a decent enough meal."_

_My mind reeled in shock. I had never told Teacher about any of my victims... how could he have possibly known? I never killed them... never... my insides twisted and I fought the urge to empty the contents of my stomach as my face suddenly paled. He grinned maliciously as he watched me sicken. _

"_You killed him." He nodded in the direction of the vial that was now clutched so tightly in my hand that it had started to turn my knuckles white. _

_I shook my head vehemently. "You killed Faerlian... YOU KILLED THEM ALL!" I screamed in blind fury and in a flash I had cut his binds and he was laying helpless on the forest floor below me with my blade at his chest, gleaming in the twilight. I knew as he looked up at me that he realized as much as I what he had turned me into...a monster... and that he would die because of this. _

"_They will hurt you in the end Victoria. They already have." _

_I let my scimitar hang at my side and I glared at him. "You don't know anything about me."_

"_They are not worth saving Victoria." He continued. "...wake up and embrace what you are."_

_I snarled, "You can no longer tell me what to do." I could no longer feel the warm breeze on my skin nor the sun on my face. Couldn't think of anything besides that one sentence that repeated mercilessly inside my head. "You killed Faerlain... you killed Faerlain..."_

_He grinned. "I no longer have to."_

_And he was right. I had become exactly what he had wanted... and I had done exactly what he had said. The vial fell from my hand and shattered with a crash. _

"_They died because of you." He wheezed, clutching at my shoulder. _

"_Why Faerlain?" I asked as I struggled to keep my voice even. "Answer quickly and I may yet find a use for you."_

_Teacher flinched. "The orcs were driven off before they could retrieve the vials... so I needed another. There were only a few known survivors and your beloved was one of them."_

_That was it... my people... no... not my people... but all those elves had died, because some diabolical fool wanted a vial? It was too much. "No." I said hoarsely and my mind went numb. _

"_They died because of you." He said again. "I taught you to be Gwenél... but you... you became the monster."_

" _I will kill you." I said and I shoved the blade against his throat, my mind whirling. He looked up at me and he glared. "One day you will feel the icy numbness of death... and you will be powerless against that void."_

_Monster... monster..._

_I laughed, letting my guilt and anger flow cleanly out of me as I banished the thoughts from my mind. "You made me a ghost... master."_

_I plunged my sword into his chest and I smirked as his blood stained my blade. The light in his eyes flickered, and then went out with a gasp of pain as I twisted my blade and then draw it back out from him. I felt myself vanish as his blood stained my blade and the ground at my feet. I took a step back and wiped my blade against his thigh. _

"_I am a ghost... I am already dead."_

* * *

_Present_

* * *

Legolas shook his head- commanding her to be silent. "Victoria that does-" He closed his eyes, willing the awful ringing in his head away. "_I killed Faerlain... I killed Faerlain..." _He breathed deeply. "That was not your fault." 

The snow seemed suddenly colder and he hugged her closer to him, as if afraid that someone who snatch her away. Victoria's breathing was getting heavier and he fought the desire to let out a cry as the full realization of what would happen if he let her do as she wished. It was wrong... unfair. There was no way he could let her accept the blame for something she hadn't done.

"But it was, Legolas..." She shivered. "Teacher was right... I had been easy to manipulate and I did his bidding without thought or care." She blinked again and her blue eyes wandered past him to Talorta... she took a shaky breath. "I wronged your people, Legolas. Maybe not in the full extent that Teacher wanted... but through me he would have brought destruction to Mirkwood. I didn't stop when he died... and I wouldn't have... if I hadn't met you."

* * *

It was so hard to explain now... all the words that had been right in my head moments before he'd found me were all jumbled in my mind... and I felt _so _tired. "I want it to be over Legolas... and I know they deserve justice. Maybe then... if they've forgiven me... I won't find it so hard to forgive myself." 

I didn't understand anymore... didn't he realize that if it hadn't been for me... none of this... would have happened and that they would have all been alive? I just... I just didn't want to fight anymore. I was just too tired. Talorta was dead... more innocent blood shed at my hands. I looked up at him again and I let the tears I'd been holding back fall down my cheeks as I weakly reached up to touch his face. "I had wanted to believe that there were still good people out there, Legolas. But no one had given me the opportunity until I met you." My lip trembled.

"I'm so sorry..." I let my hand fall and my eyes seemed to close of their own accord. "At least you saved me." I whispered... and then I fell asleep, my body pressed to his.

* * *

He had been gone far too long and Araviniel was about to go looking for him when the Prince suddenly reappeared beneath the trees. The face Araviniel had once thought had been chiseled by the Valar themselves now looked drawn and haggard. The other warriors stood from their relaxed positions in surprise when they saw him leading his horse back with the body of a frail woman held tightly in his arms. 

"This is your ghost." He said bitterly. "She has surrendered herself for trial." He glanced around at them and then rested his gaze momentarily on Araviniel. She shivered until that frosted grey glare. "We will gather the rest of our troops and return to the palace. That is all."

No one spoke or moved as the Prince of Mirkwood slowly mounted his horse and held the woman tenderly in his arms. In the fading light, the wounded woman looked hardly like the foe many had grown to fear in recent years... she hardly even looked _alive_. No one muttered congratulations to each other... no one lauded their victory over the downfall of the ghost. No one said anything. Legolas gently caressed the woman's cheek and her brown hair cascaded in grimy waves from her limp body and onto the prince's side.

No one dared breathe as the Prince looked down coldly at them again and said in a clipped tone, "Give the body of the horse beyond a ceremonial cremation... bring me back the ashes. Lady Araviniel and two of you shall return to camp immediately... the rest of you shall do as I have ordered and return once your task is completed."

He started to urge his horse on again but he paused, turned round to face them full. His golden hair glinted and his eyes flashed in an anger few had seen off the battlefield. "We have won no victory here. But I hope you find comfort that this is over."

Then he rode off back in the direction he had come while the others mounted and proceeded to do as he had commanded in silence. Araviniel mounted quickly and paced his horse while the two other warriors followed at a respectful distance behind. She didn't speak, knowing that Legolas would not listen to her now if she did. She would have to wait to speak her part... but she was worried. For she knew the look in the Prince's eyes all too well when he looked down at the still figure of her once-greatest friend. She had seen it all too often in her brother's eyes... a long time ago in an age that seemed life-times past.

The Prince of Mirkwood was in love with Victoria... and she knew that the end of that tale would not be a happy one.

* * *

**A/N: **Ok... so I wasn't too far behind with updating. Hope you all liked! So we're going back to the palace and you all know a bit more about Teacher... though his name is not included in that information. :) Just to brush you all up a little on your Middle-earthian history, Saruman did launch an attack on Mirkwood which Thranduil repulsed at a later time... though I'm sure the White Wizard knew nothing about the toxin the star-flowers could create being as I created them. :) lol. Again, a bit more AU... but that's to be expected from a mind like mine. :) 

I took my SAT'S! YAY! And I now have a new definition of hell. (Groans) I'll let you all in on my scores if they didn't suck too badly once I get them in... which is supposed to be sometime at the end of this month. (Shrugs) We'll see what happens. In other news, my computer is still broken but I'm only $105.50 from getting it back! YAY ME!

As planned, I should have another chapter up by next weekend... we'll see what happens. And I have pictures of Zach and Faerlain up on my SIMA website which can be accessed from my author's bio page. :) That's all for now... forgive any errors that you spot and please don't hesitate to point them out in your reviews! I promise I won't bite. :) Thanks again to all who have reviewed and have brought my hit counter number up to a whopping 40,204 0-o WOW!

And I hopefully my future chapters won't disappoint. Btw... I'll be making special banners for any fans who review to the last chapter of this story... not to bribe you into reviewing or anything... I just wanted to give something back to you all for supporting me so much through this whole endeavor. :) Thanks again!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	52. Innocent Until :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**You are a survivor of Gilloth?"**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Two

Innocent Until...

* * *

Legolas left Victoria in a healer's tent as soon as they had arrived in camp once more. Her face was pale with an unhealthy flush bearing the signs of a coming fever. She was very ill. He wanted to stay by her side... almost convinced that the elder healer would do something to the former scourge of Mirkwood that would steal Victoria from him forever. However insane it sounded... he could not forget the listlessness of her eyes as she had looked up at him. He'd seen that look before... it belonged to one who had lost all hope. To one who wanted nothing more than for it to be all over.

It chilled him to his core... and he swore he would do everything he could possibly do, until he'd spent the last breath in his body, to make sure Victoria was proven innocent of this whole mess... once and for all.

The low murmurings of the encampment sounded dull on his ears. He felt estranged from them all somehow... their company was a burden rather then a welcome presence. None of them understood. Of course none dared to congratulate each other on the downfall of the ghost... not now when their prince cast murderous looks in the speakers' directions whenever they so much as muttered her name. He had changed, he decided as he sank wearily onto a nearby log and sighed.

Never in a thousand lifetimes had he ever imagined falling in love with someone like Victoria. He knew all the old tales... knew of all the former tragedies... but it had happened anyway. He had...the wind seemed colder and the world no longer half as kind. She could die there... in that tent. And if she did, he wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

She would slip once more through his fingers and this time there would be no hunting for her again... because she would be gone forever. He closed his eyes, recollecting the words she had spoken before she'd drifted into unconsciousness. "_At least you saved me."_

Love... yes... he supposed he did love her... if that's what the emotion he was feeling was called. As if the thought of losing her would choke the life from his body. Or that he felt torn in half whenever she was not near. Was that what this sort of love felt like? He didn't know... had never known. Not in all the years he'd spent on this earth. And now it would be taken away all too soon if she didn't survive this.

_But she would survive it...she must. _He heard soft footsteps approaching before an emotionless voice spoke. "Milord., the body was taken care of."

For a fleeting instant of horror Legolas thought the warrior was referring to Victoria. But he quenched the sudden thought with recollection of himself ordering the others to stay behind and take care of Talorta's body. He turned slowly. The warrior was tall... as were all elves. He had dark hair, and blank blue eyes and was altogether a stranger to him. But his eyes... his eyes seemed familiar somehow...

The camp was stirring, the wounded were getting loaded onto horses as everyone finished the preparations for the long road back to the palace. The warrior met his silver gaze and held out a simple, leather pouch. He looked troubled on a closer inspection, but said nothing as his Prince took the bag- feeling the weight of the ashes in his hand.

"If that will be all, milord." The warrior said stiffly.

Legolas hesitated, gestured for the warrior to remain where he was. "Your name?" He asked, trying the pouch to his belt as he spoke.

The warrior shifted his weight slightly and looked acutely to the forest beyond. "Cudir, milord."

"Tell me Cudir... is something troubling you?"

The warrior blinked, briefly meeting his inquiring gaze. He faltered, unsure of what to say. "The horse milord... did it belong to Gwenél?"

Legolas nodded, tilting his head quizzically. "Yes."

The warrior, Cudir's, face blanched and he cleared his throat. "It is just... well... I thought I might have recognized it milord."

Legolas nodded. "Many knew the animal on sight."

"It was not like that..." Cudir paused again, collecting his thoughts. "I remembered the horse from my village... before it was destroyed. That horse used to belong to a human there... a human who would give rides on it to my younger sister."

Realization dawned on him and the son of Thranduil's grey eyes widened perceptively. "You are a survivor of Gilloth?"

The warrior winced at the name. "One of few." He said softly. The warrior looked increasingly familiar to the point of irritation, Legolas frowned. "What was the name of your sister?" He asked, the hauntingly familiar eyes blinked- the younger elf now looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Ana, milord. Her name was Ana."

* * *

I could hear them whispering about me even before I was fully awake. My shoulder was bandaged... and something wonderfully soothing had been applied to the still tender burns on my back. Other miscellaneous injuries had been attended to as well- but even the best of Mirkwood's physicians could mend the rift in my heart.

"_Do you think she will be condemned to death?" One said softly. _

"_She has been once... why not again?" Replied another. _

"_Yet the Prince swears her innocence." Said yet another. _

"_Death is nothing short of what she deserves."_

Death... so I deserved death. It was grimly amusing that for so long I had considered the dead to be the lucky ones... death to be an embrace I longed for willingly. And when I least wanted it... now I deserved it. Irony... so cruel a fate.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, and when next I awoke the voices were no longer there. The tent was of smallish proportions- but large enough for an elven healer and single patient to reside comfortably enough it. Even the expertly woven cloth could not keep the winter chill out of the air... it was cold. At least I wasn't in chains.

I could sometimes remember my dreams of leaving the forest... forgetting ever wanting to continue my reign as the ghost. Sometimes I could remember Faerlain's warm kisses or his gentle caresses. Sometimes I could remember my brother. But I felt so cold inside now... a shell. I was no longer whole... and now it seemed like my memories had begun to fade.

_Love... I can't decide whether it harms or heals. Whether it is a paradise or a hell._

It was too easy to break my heart... I practically set myself up for it. A faint breeze rustled the tent flaps and I blinked, straining to remain awake but unsure as to why. Suddenly I saw two very clear, blue eyes gazing at me. My eyes widened and I shrank back in alarm.

"_Ana!_" I whispered in astonishment.

She had disappeared before the fight and I hadn't seen her since. She flickered before my eyes, fading even as she opened her mouth to speak. She smiled, the first I had ever seen, though it was a sad smile at that.

"I do not have much time but I need to speak with you." She said. "Trying times lie ahead for you, Victoria... but do not give up hope. You have brought justice to the innocence slaughtered at Gilloth. You had brought them peace... but now you must bring the truth to those who live on still."

"Ana... what happened to you?" I whispered as a glow started to steal her from my sight.

"All will be well, Victoria. Remember those whom love you." She hesitated. "You will not see me again... my time here has come to an end."

"Ana...I don't-"

She silenced me and I felt suddenly weary, my eyes became heavy. "Tell Cudir that I love and miss him. Tell him his wife and daughter eagerly await his coming to the Havens." She paused and then slowly pressed something into my palm. "Give this to him at the time of your trial... he will understand. Tell him I never forgot him. Tell him there was nothing to forgive."

"Ana-"

She shook her head again and her figure before me grew fainter. "You were a good friend to me, Victoria. Those whom love you will give you strength in your darkest hours... even when the sacrifice seems too much to bear." She placed a hand on my brow, smiling comfortingly. "It was I who was the ghost Victoria..." She paused, as if in afterthought and glanced briefly towards the heavens. "He says he will see you soon."

My eyes closed- but before I fell asleep entirely I heard her whisper:

"Thank you for showing me the truth."

* * *

"Ana... I know her. Have you seen her lately? The last I saw her was before the battle... she said she'd gone to warn a company of warriors." He paused, thinking, "She must have meant you... did you see her?" Asked Legolas. He didn't know Ana that well... but he still wished to know if the slight of a girl, however strange she may be, was all right.

Cudir frowned, swallowing hard. "Milord... she did not...she..." He cleared his throat and stiffened. "Milord... she did not survive the slaughter."

Legolas shook his head, dismissing the warrior's words. "Nonsense... I saw her barely two days ago." Legolas looked into Cudir's face which was rapidly losing color. "I've _seen _her." He persisted.

Cudir's gaze grew dark and stormy, his voice lowered menacingly. "That is impossible milord... I buried her myself." His slender fingers twitched with the memory on the hilt of his sword and Legolas shook his head again in disbelief... dismissing the uneasiness that had started to seep inside of him.

But Mirkwood suddenly seemed a darker place... and the thought of facing something as usual as the huge spiders seemed all the more inviting.

* * *

Cudir avoided him like the plague after their chat... and Araviniel tended to keep her distance. Though it didn't matter- she had not known the little girl anyway. And Victoria... the only one he could discuss what Cudir had called insanity as he'd stormed away, was unconscious.

It took nearly a fortnight to return to the palace... mainly due to the number of wounded that needed to be transported- which included Victoria. She wasn't awake for most of the journey- feverish despite the best efforts of the elven healers. She would toss and turn occasionally, tormented by nightmares. And for the for moments she would wake she would speak incoherently before fading back into her dark, blissful slumber.

Aragorn rode with Legolas constantly now, arm in sling and looking a little more the worse for wear with bandages covering the lower parts of his torso under a loose tunic. Legolas spent most of his time in the wagon used for transporting Victoria... whom most of the elves had chosen to keep as far away as possible from.

Home was no longer as welcoming.

Victoria wasn't conscious when they reached the palace gates, but messengers had been sent in advance to forewarn their coming to prepare for the wounded... and to make adequate accommodations for the _Ghost _of Mirkwood. Upon arrival Victoria's still body was carried to the dungeons... and Legolas was sent for by the king. Legolas would have wanted nothing more then to have been at her side when she awoke... but his father had requested his _immediate _attention. And the two warriors that had come to tell him so had no intention of leaving his side without him... prince or no prince.

So Araviniel offered to stay at her side in his stead. He had thanked her wearily... suddenly losing energy at the thought of explaining everything to his father, and sent Aragorn to his own quarters for rest. The human appeared weary enough to fall from his horse- though he was doing his best not to show it. Two house servants paced him cautiously, a supporting hand under each arm, until he disappeared from Legolas' sight.

The streets outside were quiet and the snow swirled in flurry-like anger from above, pouring down through the tree tops. He was home... and never in his life had he felt like more of a stranger.

* * *

"The trip home was uneventful?"

Legolas reclined in one of his father's comfortably carved chairs. Every bone in his body seemed to ache and his head rang with the tell-tale signs of a coming head-ache. What he wanted to do was sleep... but he would find no rest till this was all over... in one way or another.

They were in Thranduil's study- and Legolas was trying hard not to look as miserable as he felt in his father's presence. Instead he sat stone-faced, casually avoiding his father's inquiring and concerned gaze as he relayed the barest facts of his recent adventure in a flat voice- skirting the issue he dreaded speaking of for as long as he could manage.

"We had no surprises." Legolas replied simply. He averted his gaze from his father and turned instead to the fire roaring in the hearth against the far wall.

"You are well?"

Legolas nodded. "I was well cared for."

There was a silence and Legolas grimaced as he realized how harsh he must seem to his father. _When have I ever fought so nervous in his presence? _He asked himself.

_Probably since you fell in love with Mirkwood's greatest criminal. _His mind countered, he winced again.

_Who just happens to be human. _

"Legolas... what is this foolishness?" Thranduil asked quietly, golden hair softly reflecting the firelight.

Legolas looked up, feeling a bust of sudden confidence. "She is innocent, father! I can prove it!"

Thranduil's brows raised in surprise and he leaned forward in his chair. "Is this what is troubling you, my son?"

Legolas straightened in the chair, anxious now as he recalled the few elves who had borne Victoria's body on a litter to the dungeons below.

"She will be given a trial- which is a gift considering she was already condemned once... and by the same court."

Legolas stood, lips pressed into a thin line. "But she _is _innocent! I will testify in court... I will give proof... I will... I..." He stuttered to a halt, words fleeing his lips as he sought desperately to make his father understand, to make him see how blind they had all been. But Thranduil did not understand... and if he did not... how could he convince an entire nation to let her walk free?

Now was his chance... he had only to convince his father and he could take her away from here forever! But his father had stared emotionlessly up at him for several moments... and then his expression had registered into one of shock... and he met his son's passionate gaze with a blank stare. Thranduil seemed at a momentary loss for words.

"Legolas I..." He hesitated, rising slowly and clearing his throat. "You could not possibly..."

It was in that instant that Legolas realized his father knew... how could he have known so quickly? He cursed himself for his stupidity and turned from him in rage, avoiding his father's stare and walking to the wall by the hearth. He leaned against it, pounding his fist against the cold stone in frustration. He wanted to scream, to cry out. What could he do? How could he make... how could he _convince _him that he was right? His vision swam with angry tears as he thought of Victoria rotting away in that cell until she died. He couldn't let that happen... she _had _to go free!

"Impossible... Legolas, do you realize what that woman has done to this country... to your _people_?"

"She did not attack Gilloth!" He protested sharply, whirling to defend her.

"Even so..." Thranduil continued calmly, his mouth pulled into a frown. "... what about these past years? Hm? How many have fallen victim to her? And you claim her innocence?"

"She _is _innocent!" He exclaimed, nearing Thranduil purposefully and ignoring Victoria's far from perfect past. It didn't matter... all that mattered was that she couldn't stay here. She needed to be with him... she needed to be free from _them_...

Thranduil eyed his son darkly. "A trial is more then _she _deserves... you would be wise not to jeopardize that last chance."

"I will not stand by and watch her die." He muttered furiously, glaring daggers at his father across from him.

Thranduil blinked, and then sighed as his anger faded. He looked with sadness at his youngest and only son... and he shook his head. "You love her... don't you?"

Legolas back away, furious still that his father dared to try and even fathom the emotions he had for Victoria. He backed away, moving towards the door when his father spoke again.

"Only pain will she bring you, my son." Thranduil said softly.

But Legolas had already gone- slamming the door behind him. Victoria would survive this... and the court would pronounce her innocence. He would fight for her... fight till his very last breath. And then he would show them... then they will know.

She will walk free... she _had _to. And then it wouldn't matter what any of them said... because he and Victoria would be gone.

* * *

**A/N:** Finally, the father-son confrontation... and so far Legolas isn't doing so hot about all of this. And a new bit of info on Ana... I wonder where that will lead... but of course I already know... cause I'm writing it! He he. :) I will not allude to anything coming up... but I will say that Faerlain will not be left out in the cold for long. He will be talked about in upcoming chapters... so unfortunately there is some angst to come.

I realized, as a reviewer pointed out to me, that my story does tend to border on the depression line with a rather lack of humor. I can only apologize and perhaps make up for it later. Sorry guys... I throw in one-liners here and there but this story was to be my great angst experiment... and I guess its working. :)

I am only 4 reviews away from 600 and I'm so excited... this story has gone WAY beyond my wildest expectations and I have to thank you all a million times over for supporting me through it all... I promise not to disappoint to the best of my ability:) Welcome aboard to all the new reviewers I got for this last chapter, and I love you all for all the wonderful reviews you've given me. Sorry for the late update, mu job got pretty busy so I had no time to type... but I promise the next update will be on time!

Till next we meet my friends...

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	53. Proven Guilty :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: **"And you have looked far better, dear maiden."**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

... Until Proven Guilty

* * *

Aragorn was waiting for him at the door. The human had shed most of his bandages and there was a renewed vigor in his being. Legolas blinked in surprise. 

"Lady Araviniel gave me a vial." The King of Gondor explained. "A healing potion made from the star-flowers."

There was a certain stiffness to him to be sure, but Aragorn looked much better then he had the day before. He held the vial up for Legolas' inspection.

"Most of it is gone, I used it on the wounded." He said. "But there is enough for one more."

Legolas eyes widened and his anger at his father's lecture evaporated as he realized that Aragorn was referring to Victoria. He nodded sharply in the direction of the dungeons. "Let us go... quickly!"

Aragorn cast a concerned glance in his friend's face and laid a comforting hand on the elf prince's shoulder. "All will be well, my friend."

But it wasn't well... and he could only nod as Aragorn squeezed his shoulder. The latter smiled ruefully- snowflakes falling into his dark brown hair. "However, there are many questions that you owe me the answers to."

Legolas acknowledged this comment with a brief glance- then started for the dungeons with a quickness to his step. But it was cold as he descended... and he knew that his people would not give Victoria up without a fight.

* * *

_She was at my side... waiting for me to wake up. But even in my semi-conscious state I burned with shame and I dreaded our meeting. But I knew I couldn't avoid her forever_... so I opened my eyes. I gasped as pain filtered into my consciousness and I heard her voice speaking softly to me in her own tongue, calming me. I breathed heavily, trying to ease my pain away as my body screamed in agony. 

"I have been waiting for you for a long time, Victoria." She said, brushing her fingertips over my arm as I weakly turned to her.

The dungeons, as I fully knew myself to be, stank with fear, pain, and deception. I remembered it all too well. My eyes and throat burned and tears came unintentionally to my eyes as I gazed at her serene countenance. She had not changed- my best friend's face seemed frozen in time. But there was a new look in her eyes, formerly alight with life and happiness; they now held a darkness... a bleakness that I had never seen before. I wondered if I had changed to her... did my face differ now from that young girl from a million life-times ago?

"I... I am _so _sorry." I whispered hoarsely, feeling bile rise in my throat. "So-" I coughed... the burning intensified and I breathed heavily in hopes of a breath of sweet air- but receiving none that satisfied.

"Shh..." She whispered, smiling sadly. "I know Victoria... I know."

_But how could she know?_ How could she even bear to look at me when I was responsible for her brother's death? I felt no hatred for the elves anymore... only a sharp ache that burned like a festering wound. Maybe they were right... maybe it really had been all my fault. _How could you ever forgive me?_ I wondered, but unable to speak the words aloud. She opened her mouth to speak when suddenly we heard voices outside.

I knew he was there before the door creaked open and the guard let him in. And he met my gaze... and we stared. Then Araviniel was no longer holding my hand as he moved towards me.

* * *

She looked so weak lying still there on the cot... defeated. The rebelliousness had long since faded from her eyes, and his heart broke for her. He quenched the anger he had still harbored in his heart against his father's stubbornness and he crossed the floor to her, eyes locked onto her own. She managed a small smile as he knelt and took her hand, her chest raggedly rising and falling. 

"Hey." She said weakly, squeezing his hand. "You look so grim, fair prince."

He smiled... a smile he could have made only for her. "And you have looked far better, dear maiden."

They were silent for a moment- neither knowing what to say.

"Your trial is tomorrow... at dawn."

"You elves always were so efficient." She closed her eyes, relaxing against the cot. "I just want it to be over... you know?"

Legolas caressed her face... no... he didn't know. Couldn't even imagine facing what she did now. But he loved listening to her voice... to the strange way that she talked. He knew she needed him now, more then ever. And that was enough. "It will end." He said to her.

She sighed. "Yes," She agreed. "it will end."

Remembering that Aragorn was still standing by the door, Legolas turned and gestured to him, saying softly to her. "I have something for you." Aragorn handed him the vial wordlessly and, removing the crystal top, Legolas made to bring it to her lips.

"A quack elven concoction?" She joked before drinking- but her whole body stiffened as Legolas tipped the clear liquid into her mouth. She jerked violently, coughing up the stuff and gasping for air with widened eyes. Aragorn was immediately at her wide, speaking quietly to her and urging her breathing to regulate. Legolas was momentarily too stunned to speak as Aragorn played the part of the healer he was so famous for. But with a hurried movement he quickly mopped up the precious liquid with a cloth to administer it again.

Victoria only shook her head, still gasping. "I will _never _drink of that foul substance." She spluttered, gagging as Aragorn worked to soothe her. "_So many...dead...dead...all of them.._."She sat up slightly, wincing as she put unintended pressure on her injured shoulder. Aragorn laid her back down, drawing back the folds of her bandages to view the wound and then frowning.

"They were _killed _for that vial... and I will die before ever I use it."

She was sobbing hysterically now, brown locks damp with tears as she shook with gasps. Aragorn administered some fresh bandages to the wound, frowning all the while, with deft hands that spoke of years of experience. He moved slightly backward, and stole a glance at his friend who quickly moved closer to Victoria's side.

In a fluid movement, Legolas gathered Victoria as gently as he could into his arms and rocked her back and forth on the cot, quieting her tears until at last, she fell silent. No one spoke and no sound could be heard besides that of Victoria's soft sniffling and Legolas' whispered murmurings.

He looked up at Aragorn, not knowing what he could do to comfort her and his friend nodded grimly and said, "We will talk later." Then, touching Araviniel lightly on her arm, he escorted her out.

They were alone... and the dungeons were quiet.

"I am sorry." She said, muscles tightening and he realized she would accept no help from him to ease the pain of her own guilt. "I am _so _sorry."

He didn't say anything, just spoke quietly to her in a tongue he knew she would not understand until she fell silent.

"I was afraid of you, Legolas." She said when her cries had stopped. He rested his chin on her head, took her hand into his own. "I was afraid of loving you... from the start. And when I realized I had... I thought... maybe... that you would go away. That I'd wake up and find that none of it had ever happened." She winced and then shuddered, he held her closer.

"What do you fear now?" He whispered softly to her, pressing her hand to his chest, laying it where his heart beat. She titled her head up to look at him through clouded eyes, searching his own grey depths.

"That if I close my eyes... you'll be gone... that I'd never find you again. And that I will have only dreamed of ever having met you."

Her hand fell from his in a fist and tears welled up in her eyes. He smiled bravely, for her, and ran his fingers through her long, dark hair. "You never have to be afraid... I will always be with you."

She gazing, she breathed deeply. "If I closed my eyes..." She asked hesitantly. "Would you kiss me?"

He blinked once, and then lowered his head. He sought her lips gently- pressing his mouth lightly to hers. He could taste her sorrow...and her fears... he could feel the rapid beating of her heart.

"I love you." He whispered fiercely as they broke apart. She buried her face in his chest... and she cried.

* * *

The trial was today... and the sun rose slowly that morning. Not that I could feel it... I was buried too deeply under hundreds of feet of rock to feel that last comfort. But I did awaken in Legolas' arms- and it gave me an extra spark in my will for the coming day. I breathed deeply, letting myself drift on the borders of consciousness as I listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. 

He was fully awake and aware before I was, and he caressed my face to awaken me. I felt so warm, lying up against him. But I knew that I couldn't delay reality much longer anyway. I lifted my head slightly off his chest and I looked up at him- slightly disoriented.

"Hey." I said, breathing slowly.

He half-smiled, planted a gentle kiss on my lips. The motion sent tingles down my spine and I sighed contentedly. If the circumstances had been different, I would have begged to wake up like this every morning- minus the prison cot, various wounds, and accommodations in the dungeon of course. We were alone- _blissfully alone_. And I savored each moment knowing it could very well be out last together.

"Sleep well?" He asked me and I murmured my consent sleepily. "I would have offered you the finest beds in my kingdom had we met under different circumstances. Unfortunately, I never could persuade my father to get proper beds for the dungeons." He joked. I smiled at his attempt at humor.

"What? You mean if I hadn't taken you as my prisoner? That would have just been boring." I closed my eyes again and relaxed as he held me closer, being careful not to jar my wounded shoulder. He rested his chin on my head and I heard him sigh.

"Something like that." He replied.

I wondered when they would come for me... wondered when the trial would begin... but those thoughts seemed hazy as I fought to grasp them. I gave up easily as I felt him run his fingers up and down my arm.

"Do you feel any better?"

I chuckled softly. "Despite the feeling of being chewed on by a warg...none the worse for wear."

The both of us fell silent for a few minutes- listening to each other breathe.

"Will you be all right?" He asked at last. I knew he was talking about the trial without mentioning it specifically.

"I'll manage."

"They will not let me be with you... I will have to sit with my father." He sounded irritated and I weakly slid my hand into his own. His skin felt warm and he tightened his grip.

"Your father must have done something right to have created so wonderful a son."

I could hear the footsteps too on the stairs, silencing Legolas' reply. He tensened as the door creaked open on old hinges, emitting two warriors. They almost looked handsome, dressed in full Mirkwood ceremonial garb. But I wasn't feeling too kindly dispositioned towards them being as they were here either to take myself, or Legolas away. They saluted him respectfully and one stepped forward, carefully avoiding my questioning gaze.

"King Thranduil requests that you make your presence known in the grand hall, my prince." They cast lingering glances in my direction- but said nothing more.

"I will come... give me a moment."

The warriors saluted and closed the door. We were alone again.

"I have to go." He said, sliding gently out from under me and laying me back gently against the rough cushions.

I looked up at him and I smiled sadly. "I know." I didn't deserve someone like him... not after everything that I had done. He placed a hand on my forehead, then on my cheek.

"You are feverish... I will send someone down to change your bandages."

"Don't worry about me." I said.

His gaze softened, and I allowed my smile to broaden. "Who knows." I said. "I'm innocent until proven guilty."

He half-smiled ruefully and brushed a stray lock of my hair away from my eyes. "It will be fine." He said firmly, he kissed my forehead and then straightened. His eyes- so clear and hopeful - stared directly into mine, as if to instill in me that hope his still harbored. I would hope... if only for him. I slipped my hand over his own that lingered still on my cheek.

"I love you." I said, knowing full well that this might be the last time we were together if the trial didn't go well.

Legolas murmured something in elvish- something I couldn't quite hear. Then he turned to the door... and then he paused. "I almost forgot." He said, pulling something out of a pocket in his tunic. He was wearing a dark, hunter green- nearly black. His hair, combed and braided, lay like strands of gold on his shoulders. His grey eyes were beacons of fire. Good lord... how I loved him. He faced me once more. "I sorted through what was left of your bag." He held out his hand, in which I recognized a letter and I blinked- unsure what it meant.

"You never opened it." He continued. He pressed the old parchment into my hand and met my inquiring gaze. "You might want to read it now."

The memory flashed in my mind- _the letter from Mirlaic. _Had I forgotten it? "Thank you." I whispered, clutching the letter to my heart.

I never heard him go out. After a while of silence, I slowly brought the letter up to my face and pushed myself slightly upright on the cot. I stared at the simple words on the front, my name -in her hand. It was when I looked up that I realized he was gone.

But the memory of his kisses, his caresses, lingered still on my skin. Mirlaic... what would she have thought of me now? I winced when I remembered out last time together- but I didn't cry. All my tears were spent, wasted amongst the snow.

With my back to the wall, I turned the letter over with my good arm, broke the seal, and let the parchment rest on my thigh- my heart thundering in my chest. I breathed deeply as the parchment crinkled- and I began to read.

* * *

_My Dearest Victoria, _

_You are gone- long gone now. Hopefully far from the battle that is yet to begin. My hopes rest in you now... that you will live on after me. Yet... how I _wish _I could have spoken such words to you while I kissed your cheeks and held you safe in my arms. I was a coward, Victoria, and instead the words fell frozen from my lips. I will never even know if you get this letter- but I shall not fear. I have accepted that writing it was all I could do now. But do not be afraid, for even this darkness must have an end. _

_The village is quiet, all are waiting for the attack and the children are asleep here, in this house, and I am their keeper. Not a word is whispered nor a fire lit. So I have taken pen in hand with the hope that one day, you will read these words, and somehow take heart from them. _

_I ached with loneliness for years after Tatharion passed. I cursed the Valar... that they could have ever taken him from me and nothing anyone said or did could ease the pain of his passing. But then the ranger brought you to me... it seems like only yesterday. And suddenly, you had filled an emptiness in my heart that had threatened to consume me. I loved you as my own and I could almost feel Tatharion smiling at me. You grew in years- and you made me strong. _

_Darkness lies ahead of you, and at time you will not know if you possess the strength to defeat it. My own darkness is here... in this village. Yet since I found you, my own little candle against my darkness flickers yet. You will be tired... and at times it may feel as though the burden is too much to bear. Take courage, dear one. Your heart with find a home, and when your golden light shines through once more- you _will _have the strength to face the dawn. _

_The village is stirring now- it is time that I leave you. But know that I love you, Victoria, and I always shall. My ship is coming to the harbor and soon I shall be with Tatharion again. _

_I love you, dearest child._

_Yours Always,_

_Mirlaic_

* * *

_Was this how one healed? By letting the pain glide away? Then maybe it was better to forget. Maybe it was better to move on._

_Forgetting, sometimes, is the only thing that makes the pain go away. _

(Ch. 23)

* * *

**A/N: **And here is the latest chapter. I was going to put the trail in here but I figured this chapter was long enough. So next week's chapter is the trial...dun dun dun... :) Trust me, this story isn't over yet. :) In other news, I made a nifty desktop wallpaper for SIMA which can be found on the website. won't let me post the link in this chapter, but the website link is on my author's bio if anyone is interested. 

That's all for now, and thanks a million to everyone for reading and reviewing:) And thanks to my beta, Kiann. :)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	54. Trial and Error :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**Don't you remember me? I'm Victoria."**

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Four**

Trial and Error

* * *

I wondered how elves punished their prisoners since, of course, for the three years since Gilloth had been slaughtered I'd been fed warg crud about elves- I had this vague picture in my head of elves, grinning madly as the condemned was beaten to death with a cat o' nine. That was what Teacher would have wanted me to believe.

But then I had met Legolas- and I guess the image faded. Maybe I'd be decapitated if found guilty- maybe they'd burn me at the stake like a witch. Though that sounded more medieval then it did elven.

So why am I thinking such grim and dim thoughts the day my fate was to be decided? Well... you would too if an escort of maybe... a dozen full armed warriors dragged you in chains to what I supposed was a courthouse. It wasn't like I was going to ask anybody... some of them might have been happier if I dropped dead then and there.

I had spent occasional days wandering about in the company of other elves before- mostly for the fun of disguising myself. But I had never seen so many elves in one place before until now. Hell, I could even see a few children staring solemnly at me as they brought me forward. Did I mention that elves don't jeer? They just stare silently at you instead. Try and think about which is worse- a thousand elves brandishing fists and cursing you- or a thousand elves all staring with bright, pointed gazes.

I felt sickness churning in my stomach as I entered and chills ran down my spine. _Where is Legolas?_ I found myself searching in rising panic for a way to escape this nightmare as they led me forward, through the courtroom, up to where the king sat.

I'm sorry... did I say led? I forgot to mention that I was sort of on a stretcher- my legs had refused to work properly when the warriors had come for me. Talk about a blow to your reputation. I was once the feared... and now they were fear_less_. I felt dizzy with nervousness and ill with fever. _How would they kill me_, I wondered again. For how could they ever let me go free?

And then I saw him- seated next to his father... and my fears subsided. I had never seen him in so fancy an attire before. Upon our first meeting he'd been half-dead and half-naked and my original plan had been to use him for ransom. At least... that's what I had told myself in the beginning. As the days had gone by I realized I was just _tired _of killing people. But Legolas... he looked _wonderful _now.

There was a silver crown resting upon his arched brow. He was dressed in a tunic of light green and silver, and his golden hair had been combed and braided to perfection. His grey eyes seemed to sparkle in the soft light streaming in from the small windows cut into the walls of stone. He was doing his best to look regal- which I imagined was what his father would have wished. But I could still see concern burning brightly from behind his impassive mask.

The King of Mirkwood was an entirely different story. Rigid, glaring, and tall- he glowered down at me with grey eyes flashing and his body taunt as I was brought before him. Disgust and disappointment- that was what I felt as the stretcher stopped and two of the warriors hoisted me to my feet. An elf standing nearest to me came forward and he began speaking quickly in Sindarin.

My knees were buckling and the warriors gripped my arms tighter. I was having trouble concentration- it took most of my consciousness just to remain upright. Eventually my legs gave out altogether and the warriors lowered me into a waiting chair. I hoped they were happy- with their glowering stares and stern faces. I wouldn't be attacking anyone, anymore. I forced my thoughts back to the present and I blinked- focusing on the final words the announcer was saying.

"...my king, this is Gwenél, the slaughterer of the innocents, the ghost of Mirkwood."

There were no boo's, no catcalls. Only grim silence as Thranduil stood- and my trial began.

* * *

Did you know Mirkwood has a flag? I couldn't describe it to you- I felt too dizzy to focus on anything for more then a second or two. But I could seem them decorating the walls of the room. More then two hundred feet in length- the courtroom held whispers of punishment and pleadings for mercy. Mercy- that was something I was not expecting today.

Thoughts kept buzzing in my ears that seemed completely foreign to me- a strange voice kept ringing in my ears as I struggled to stay alert and fight the annoying tug at my consciousness. The room seemed to dim and I blinked once or twice, getting lost as the elves continued to discuss my crimes and witness were brought... _were brought..._

What was I thinking? _Where am I? _Everything was so fuzzy... "_Life support... she'll never wake up... never wake up." "Vic... can you hear me?" Mom? I saw my mother's face momentarily in my mind and a strange beeping filled my head..._

I grunted as my wounded shoulder collided with something hard. I blinked back awake and I realized I was on the floor- and whoever had been speaking had fallen silent. _Crap... oh crap_. I gritted my teeth as I felt strong, cold hands slowly pull me up into my seat. I was shaking with the effort of staying upright. How can I possibly do this? There were noises now- Legolas was standing, was speaking in hushed tones to his father.

My prince looked furious- but Thanduil said nothing in reply to his pleadings. Then his silver eyes met my own- and his love burned deep inside of me and in a single instant, I found a wisp of strength to go on with.

Thranduil was speaking. "Attend to the prisoner." The king said to the warrior that I could sense was still standing beside me. With an effort- I tilted my head up to look into my protector's face. I recognized him from somewhere... his eyes seemed hauntingly familiar...

"_This... is ours?_"

"_She is Cudir." Elenowen said lightly, sitting beside him and leaning on his shoulder to look into Turwethiel's face. "Yes, she is ours."_

It came to me suddenly- like when you can't remember the words to your favorite song and suddenly they're jumping off your tongue. "Cudir." I whispered, my voice failing.

He had been staring straight ahead with a rigid hand on my shoulder to keep me from falling off the seat. I wondered if he couldn't hear me... or was simply ignoring me. The latter sounded rather un-elflike, especially for what I remembered of him, so I tried again. "Cudir?"

He blinked and an expression something like surprise flashed over his face. He looked down at me, his eyes wide and his face resuming its emotionless mask. "How do you know my name?" He growled softly, frowning. I blinked, stared into his face until I was sure I had his full attention.

"Don't you remember me? I'm Victoria."

* * *

She couldn't be serious. He hardly even remembered a _Victoria_. An image drifted back slowly into his memory- hardened by years of loss. He stared into the drawn face of the woman beside of him. It disgusted him to even touch her. This woman was responsible for the death of his wife, child, and sister. How did she know him?

The memory came back suddenly, violently, and he shuddered and his face went blank. She was still looking up at him, wincing as he dug his fingers into his shoulder. He couldn't breathe... there was no way... Thranduil was speaking now, was asking if there was anyone who would come to her defense...

"Milord?" Cudir cried out, his heart palpitating so fast he feared it would burst from his chest.

Thranduil stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at him. "Speak." He commanded.

"May I have a word alone with the prisoner?" He asked, hardly breathing as he fought to regain any semblance of self-control he still contained. The king looked surprised, but he nodded. The woman was in his arms in a hardly a moment, stiffening as he put pressure on all of her wounds. He didn't cared if she suffered... he hardly cared for anything at all. He would squeeze the truth from her himself... still refusing to call her what she said was her name as he fled from the courtroom.

Cudir was hardly gentle. He had spent years in Mirkwood's army since the slaughter of his village. He was a hardened veteran... he was one of the highest ranking officers his age. And he was alone. He knew how to handle criminals- and he spared the slight of a woman nothing as he retreated to an empty corridor and slammed her against a wall. Her feet dangled for a moment as his taunt muscles held her to the cold stone.

The woman gasped, her eyes clouded for a moment as she fought to get her breath.

* * *

"_Victoria? Wake up! Wake up!"_

The pain was back in an instant, and I was looking into Cudir's enraged face. The last I had seen of him- he had been thanking me for delivering his child. Now he looked ready to kill me on the spot. His eyes, the same color as Ana's... and suddenly all her words flooded back into my mind.

"Tell me the truth once and for all... your name is Victoria Thenindiel?" I winced at the sound of my elven name, and opened my mouth to answer and he slammed me again into the wall- I saw stars. "Answer quickly and truthfully before I kill you myself." He growled.

I gasped for air. "Your daughter was born while you were away... I helped to deliver her. Her name was Turwethiel... she had blue eyes. Like yours... like Ana's." He started to lower me down the wall as I spoke.

He looked terrible- his eyes ravenous and strained from holding back tears. "How do you know this? How could you possibly have..." His voice broke and I remember suddenly what Ana had said to me in that tent before we had left for the palace.

"_All will be well, Victoria. Remember those whom love you." She hesitated. "You will not see me again... my time here has come to an end."_

I felt it my palm- and I didn't even have the strength to wonder how it had gotten there. I raised my hand up weakly, and I placed it into his hand, which was currently laying slack on my shoulder. I could hear murmurs from the courthouse- but I didn't care what happened to me now. Ana had asked me to tell her brother something... and I would. I swear to the last breath in my body that I would. He looked at whatever I had given him- I didn't even know what it was.

He opened his hand- and resting in his palm was a silver locket. And on the front, a ship with wings had been painstakingly engraved. He opened it tenderly- and did not bother to hide his tears as he looked inside. There were two portraits within- hardly bigger them my thumbnail. Pictures of two elves, a man and a woman, who looked nearly identical to Cudir. He was at least 6'5"- and his body was hunched as he spoke aloud.

"I gave it to her on the night our parents passed. But I put it... I..." He turned to me with a sudden look of vehemence. "Where did you get this?"

I blinked at him in surprise. "She gave it to me."

"Who?" He persisted.

"Ana... she said... she said that she loves you... that Elenowen and Turwethiel are waiting for you at the Havens." I frowned, trying to recall the words that seemed like a half-forgotten memory. "She said... she said misses you... that she never forgot you." I pointed to the locket. "She told me to give that to you at the time of my trial... she said that you would understand. She said... that there was nothing to forgive."

"How do you know this?" He whispered hoarsely. "I buried this locket with my sister five years ago when my company was sent to bury the dead. How could you have _possibly _gotten this?"

"What was there to understand?" I said softly. "About the locket?"

He blinked, then gazed tenderly at the necklace in his hand. "I told her I would bring her justice... that all the world would know the truth... that nothing like that would ever happen again."

And she was there... suddenly... like a soft breeze floating off a sea. I saw her drifting evanescently about Cudir's shoulders- and apparently he saw her too. He wept- and though I could not hear what she was saying, I knew in an instant that Cudir believed me. Well... about my having seen her anyway.

"Mirkwood just isn't what it used to be." I said gently.

"No." He agreed. "It is not." He regarded me with watery eyes as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "You did not kill them... did you?"

I smiled sadly at him and caressed his cheek. "I loved them too... how could I have possibly killed them?"

He stared for a moment- I wondered if he realized that the two of us had sank to the floor. He lifted me up effortlessly and he started back for the courthouse. "You _will _be proclaimed innocent." He said firmly and I shook my head in astonishment.

"If only the rest of them would only believe me as easily."

He didn't smile, but I felt the sorrow over his brow lighten. We entered the courtroom and the elves silenced. Cudir placed me back in the chair and placed the locket about his neck. Then, standing tall and magnificent before the king, he said in a loud voice. "I will speak for Victoria... for that is her rightful name." The hush that fell over the crowd had an air of astonishment and Cudir spoke again. "Victoria... is innocent."

* * *

Legolas wasn't sure if he should feel stunned or elated as Cudir stepped forward to plead Victoria's case. But whether a blessing or a curse, his father would not be so easily swayed.

"You proclaim her innocence, Warrior? State your name." Thranduil said.

"Cudir, milord. Captain of the first legion and survivor of Gilloth." There was a collective gasp about the room and Legolas noted that Victoria straightened as much as she could in her chair.

"Warrior Cudir- what do you have to say in the prisoner's defense?"

"That I knew this woman, milord. She was the adopted daughter of our village healer. She lived in peace with us for three years until the slaughter- her body was not found among the dead."

"You are sure the prisoner is the same woman?"

"Indeed, milord."

"Tell me," Thranduil continued, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Why would the prisoner be innocent?"

"It is inconceivable, milord, that a single, mortal woman could slay a whole village so ruthlessly. It has already been proven that there was no true ghost of Mirkwood- nothing short of the supernatural could have been accomplished by a solitary figure."

"Then who slaughtered the villagers of Gilloth?" Thranduil demanded.

"Orcs." Victoria said sharply, speaking for the first time. "Isn't it obvious? They kidnapped your son- they had wrecked havoc in your kingdom for months. What was to stop them from attacking Gilloth? There were no warriors to defend it. It produced a powerful healing elixir from its rare trees." She cleared her throat. "I have already been questioned about my role as the ghost during the past years. I am guilty of that crime, your majesty. But I can swear truthfully by whatever you wish me to, that I did not kill the people of Gilloth."

The courtroom was alive with conversation and Thranduil silence them. "Warrior Cudir... you say this woman lived in your village... do you have any proof?"

Cudir's face blanched and his blue eyes clouded. "She helped to deliver my only child, milord."

"Where is this child?"

Cudir cleared his throat, this time replying softly. "She was killed, along with my wife and sister in the attack."

Thranduil was silent.

"If perhaps, with all due respect milord, the accused could somehow prove she lived in Gilloth... could she be called innocent?" Cudir asked.

Thranduil did not look at anyone, though his eyes flickered for a second towards his son, who was seated at the edge of his chair with his hands clenching the sides. "If the accused at bring forth evidence of her residence in the village... I will proclaim her innocent of the crime. However... her acts as Gwenél, though directed by another insurgent, shall be punished. This court is aware that Victoria Knightengale killed her former mentor when his plans became known to her, such was testified by Prince Legolas." Thranduil made a short gesture to his son and continued. "Therefore... if evidence can be give, I will announce Victoria Knightengal's innocence of the slaughter of Gilloth. But she will be banished from Mirkwood... forever." He turned his gave to Victoria, nodded respectfully at Cudir.

"You have three weeks time to get your proof, this court will reconvene upon your return."

* * *

**A/N: **I am soooo sorry for the lack of updates! I got my computer back and I was so happy that all I was doing whenever I got on was web design! Forgive me please! I actually didn't like this chapter very much... it was more of a filler for me because I simply didn't like it. (Shrugs) What are you going to do. So... sorry for the crappy writing, it happens every so often. But now we're off to Gilloth again and Thranduil is being nice.. And Victoria has another ally (which she seems to be short of these days). So... the next update will come (or should come) around a week from now or so... it depends on what time I have. :)

The SIMA website has a whole new look- the link is on my author's bio. Thanks a million to all who read and reviewed, you give me the inspiration to keep going when I REALLY don't want to. :) Thanks also to my beta, Kiann, without whom I'd be no where. It's midnight now- so intent was I to finish this chapter. :) So forgive all the errors I'll be sure to miss, and probably Kiann too because there are so many, and thank you all for your wonderful support:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	55. Tender Kisses :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**And how can one live without their soul?"**

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Five**

Tender Kisses

* * *

We left two days after the trial. It rained. I sat in front of Legolas with my wounded arm bandaged tightly to my chest. Legolas had slung a cloak about me as he cradled me to this chest. The road was dark and the forest foreboding. I couldn't remember much of what occurred in the first two or three days that we rode... I sweated withthe remains of my fever and shivered with chills from the rain.

I slept a while- a long and merciful sleep. I dreamed of Talorta... of my brother... and of home. Home. Strangely- for the first time in nearly a decade- that old farm way back when seemed kindlier then it had before. I missed it.

The horses trod on- and the wind blew through the trees like children crying and the rain pouring down from the heavens were the only sounds that drifted through our unearthly company. I lost track of time. Thewhen next I was awake and aware,I was wrapped up in blankets by a crackling fire. The rain had stopped.

The flames danced grotesquely over the branches and I watched in fascination as they curled and withered in the oppressive heat. The last time I had been that close to flames was when I had watched in horror as my flet- my home- had burnt to the ground leaving nothing behind but a smouldering pile of ruins. Those flames had broken me for the first time in years.

I hadn't wanted to keep breathing.

And then, at my weakest point, I met Legolas. I tried to think to myself... what was I feeling now as I stared into the flames? Well... I felt numb. Like I had hit the bottom and there was no going up- like I was drowning. Despair is a sin- one of the worst. But that... despair... wasn't exactly what I felt now- because Legolas was here, again. I felt cold- but a strange warmth had started to seep back into my heart. And that, was because, again, Legolas was here to save me.

I had loved Faerlain with an intensity that had burned and ached when we were parted. A love that had threatened to kill me over and over when I found out first that he had survived the slaughter- only to learn that he had died... at my master's hand. But Legolas is different and therefore my love for him was different.

My love for Faerlain could have been eternal- the kind you read about in fairy tales. But it had been buried under my heart of stone for too long to survive. Legolas... he was now my _life. _My _soul. _And how can one live without their soul? (1)

"Good evening." I heard his soft voice say to me and I turned my gaze from the flames and looked up at him as he approached. He was carrying a bowl whose contents steamed in the frigid winter air. I smiled as he knelt beside me and returned my smile.

"Hello yourself." I said, gazing at him adoringly as he leaned over and planted a kiss on my brow. I loved him... how I _loved _him.

"You're feeling better." He said as he settled beside me and lowered the bowl into his lap.

"I think my fever broke." I replied hesitantly, running a mental check over my bodily systems as I spoke. I was sore- and my shoulder ached where that foul elven arrow had pierced it. But as for feeling ill- I felt better then I had in months.

"Ai." Legolas said through a breath of relief as he laid a hand on my forehead. "I was worried about you."

I grinned slyly at him. "The Prince of Mirkwood worried about little 'ole me?"

Legolas chuckled, "Such a place you must have come from- they must miss you there."

My smile faded slightly and I thought again of the rolling fields, of home. "I'll have to tell you about it sometime." I said softly, thinking of how I would explain traveling to this place to the man... er... elf... I was so deeply in love with. He kissed me, slowly, gently. And I let his warmth drive the chill from my body. When he broke away he looked deeply into my eyes and caressed my face.

"I would like that."

I decided again, for the millionth time, that surely I didn't deserve him. But here he was, proving to me again and again that there was a God- even when I felt too worthless to feel his touch. He straightened and gestured to the bowl of soup in his hands.

"I brought you something... it is not much- it's hot."

I shook my head ruefully. "I'm sure it's better then your dungeon gruel. _Anything _is better then that."

He laughed and I smiled, it was a welcoming sound- one I could get used to. "I promise this is better then that- though I've not had the pleasure of tasting it myself."

I think I could have managed to feed myself- but I also think Legolas liked, or rather needed to take care of me. So I let him. I didn't mind- honestly. It gave me the opportunity to study his eyes- somehow they always seemed beautiful when he looked at me like that.

* * *

It took nearly a fortnight to reach the village. Not so much because of the distance- but mostly because the warriors traveled slow and warily; they had been attacked too many times before for their liking. With each passing day I healed a little more and got my strength back as I listened to Legolas' voice and awoke to him hovering worriedly above me- only to have his angelic features melt into a smile when I'd kiss him. I think I might be partial to elves from now on. I've heard tell from more then one elf that Legolas' face was chiseled by the Valar themselves. They were probably right- but I didn't love Legolas just for his looks. He had a nasty temper when you got down to it.

This of course, despite all, was quite a way to live.

I think Legolas was the reason I was gaining strength so quickly. For so long I had nothing but revenge and murder inside of me. It had made my heart cold and bitter- leading such a life makes you numb and hard inside. But now... now Legolas had given me something to live for. And even though the gloomy countenances of the surrounding warriors sometimes mellowed my mood and muted my words- they could not contain the wild smiles that would pass over my face when I thought of his tender kisses and gentle caresses.

I think I smiled more in that two weeks time then I had during the five years time since the slaughter of Gilloth. It was more then happiness- happiness is when you see a good movie, go out with a friend, or are treated to your favorite candy. I was filled with something different. Joy- which something entirely different, and deeper, altogether. A contentment of my very soul.

I was in love and loved in return, and I wondered how I could have ever lived in any other way. We had our own little fantasy- I guess you could call it our honeymoon by certain aspects. We weren't married- or alone. But we were together, and that was enough- for now. Until this was all over.

It would be the best we ever got.

But the road wouldn't stretch on forever, however misleading appearances may be. And it was late morning on the fifteenth day when we reached the remains of the village. Ironic- my past would definemy future.

I suppose that is truly what you would call _fate. _

* * *

No one spoke as we rode into the village square. Chills ran down my spine and I felt Legolas reassuringly squeeze my arm. We had entered the village under much different circumstances previously.

Star-Trees never really lose their leaves during the winter months like other trees. The seemed to glow softly (if only dully during the winter) all year round. A mist had formed over the partially melted snow

"Will you be all right?" Legolas asked of me in a whispered tone.

I shrugged, "I have to be."

The warriors halted their horses in a semi circle before us and turned to Legolas for further instruction. "Form a perimeter around the village and keep watch." He said to them, his eyes clear and cold- his voice emotionless and strong. He looked to me- asking silently where we would go. I nodded in the direction of Mirliac's... of my... old flet and Legolas turned to the warriors again.

"I will accompany Lady Knightengale to the old Healer's flet. Captain Cudir knows where we will be."

Cudir- who had remained resolutely silent though strangely protective of me during the ride, nodded sharply and then turned to the others to give soft orders. Legolas' horse moved forward and I felt a pang as I realized that it was not Talorta beneath me. Talorta was no longer here. Legolas had given me a sackcontaining hisashes in one of the last few days. I tied the sack around my neck and slipped it beneath my dark garments- a morbid reminder that though he was gone, my best and truest friend would always remain in my heart.

Neither Legolas nor I spoke as the horse plodded softly through the village and to my old flet. Nothing stirred in the long since abandoned streets. The flets, half-covered with ivy and snow, were silent testimonies of those long gone, those who had suffered for the mistakes of myself and others. Dark marks from the grave upon our souls. The air was chilled and the forest silent. No one spoke. My heart hammered fiercely against my chest. My future depended on what lay forgotten in that little flet.

The king had not mentioned what would happen to me if I never found proof. Maybe he was leaving it up to my imagination, maybe he was being gracious. Maybe he was giving me a chance to escape- I didn't know or care. All I knew was that by any standard I didn't deserve to be happy ever again after all I had done.

I didn't know... I hadsaid it before... I didn't care. All I was aware of was the snow crunching beneath my feet as we dismounted, the creak of the old door as I pushed it open, and the beating of my own heart as I walked across the floor of my old home. Of Mirlaic's home... the last place I would ever see her.

I had to remind myself to breathe.

* * *

We worked together- starting in Mirlaic's room. I was hesitant about entering my own and answered my problem by procrastinating- never smart, but it bought me time. We didn't find anything of use. The elements had weathered most of Mirlaic's belongings and I could see traces in the dust and snow where Legolas had discovered Mirlaic's last words to me.

We found some old listings of healing elixirs- a few valuable ones which listed some instructions on how to make elixirs from the star-flowers. I cleaned the room afterwards- it looked untouched once more, a victory of the past. Legolas slid the old parchments into a saddle bag he carried over his shoulder. I didn't cry- but I didn't speak either as he placed his arm around my shoulders and led me out of the room. I looked up at him and smiled bravely.

"Well... there's only one place left for us to look."

Legolas squeezed my shoulder reassuringly and I looked to the doorway, partially open, which led to my old bedroom. Legolas spoke not a word- and I wasn't afraid now. With bold steps, we approached the door together, and I pushed it open.

* * *

The room looked just as I had left it- with the exception of the snow piling in through the half-open window and the trailing vines that covered the sill and the floor up to the chest at the end of my bed. I closed them, fastening the clouded glass and then looked around. Papers littered the floor- one or two had some of my old sketches on them and I heard Legolas snort softly with a smile on his face as he looked at a few. He started to pick them off the floor one by one while I set about to looking about the room. The bed was caked with dust, and I knew I'd find nothing there. The dresses in the closet had been lost to time and a few, by the looks of them, torn up for bandages.

That wouldn't help either. The little vanity in the corner was empty- and that left only the chest. I heard the mattress creak as Legolas lowered his lithe frame upon it but I didn't look up as I knelt beside that chest. It had been a gift from Faerlain- he had inscribed our initials on the side. I smiled softly, though my heart skipped a beat as I imagined what, if anything, lay hidden inside that chest. A crackle of parchment.

"You never told me where you picked up the name 'Saronedhel'." Legolas said, examining my signature in a few of the newer drawings.

"Faerlain called me that." I replied softly, tracing my fingers over the bold strokes in the wood and shivering. "The night he proposed to me."

Legolas didn't answer, but I felt his eyes upon me as I lifted the top of the chest open with an effort. "You never told me." He said, his voice pained and stunned.

"You never asked." I replied, my ownvoice strained and breathless as I looked curiously inside. I could hardly hear myself speak. There was a portrait attached to the inside of the lid, one Araviniel had done of me laughing by the bank. She was never really good at drawing- but somehow that picture had come out all right.

"You loved him didn't you?" Legolas asked, but I wasn't listening.

There was something else inside- something that filled the entirety of the box and which was wrapped in some fine linen. I unwrapped it... the first was a lei of dried star-flowers. I frowned, not recognizing them. So I moved onto the next object- it was a veil...a veil of flowers. I remembered that veil- though the flowers had long since lost their color and beauty. I trembled as I removed the wrapping of the last item- and I knew what it was even before my fingers lifted the wrapping.

Legolas was standing now, concern plastered over his face... but I wasn't paying attention. I could never forget that dress... the dress of my youth. I had been presented in it... had danced with Faerlain in it the night he had returned. The night before he would kiss me for the first time. I closed the chest, pulling the dress out and laying it in my lap, my slender fingers tracing the delicate designs in the silken material. I smiled, faintly, my face losing its color.

"I wore this... the day I was presented." I wanted him to understand. This was my past, but I would not let it destroy the chance I still had with Legolas. But he _needed_ to understand, this was as much a part of me as anything. This was as much a part of me as _he _was. Neither of us could ever forget that.

Legolas paused, and I looked up and met his troubled, silver gaze. "You loved him... didn't you?" He repeated slowly.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I angrily batted them away. "Yes... I did. Very much."

"And you said yes... when he proposed?"

I hesitated, and traced again the flowers on my dress. "We were to be married... when he- when he returned." I hesitated again. "He never did."

Legolas nodded once, and I could hardly bear the pain I saw in his eyes. He knelt beside me, and stilled my irritated attempts to thwart my tears. He wiped them away tenderly and looked down at the dress in my lap. "It's very beautiful." He said softly.

"Faerlain gave it to me." I replied huskily, hating myself for what I was doing to him and to myself.

Legolas nodded again. "You should put it on." He said simply.

I turned to gaze at him in surprise, bewildered. "What?"

He planted a kiss on my forehead and rose. "You should put it on." He started for the door, then paused when he reached the entrance way and met my eyes. "He loved you- he will always be a part of you Victoria. You have found your proof... but I want you to find _yourself._" He smiled wistfully. "Not all tears are evil... and I believe... I _know_... you looked very beautiful in it." He nodded again at the dress and slipped out into the living room. "Put it on." He repeated, "I'll wait for you here." Then he closed the door... and I was alone.

I stared for a moment at the dress... then, slowly, I unfastened my tunic... and slid out of my garments. I trembled as I slid the silken material over my naked arms and skin. The color had faded slightly with age- but it was still as beautiful as the first time I has seen it. I felt Faerlain's arms around me again, the way his breath had warmed my neck as we had danced. The way he had laughed. My knees wouldn't hold me anymore. I sank to the floor again, feeling ill, my heart aching.

My body shook with sobs as I cried, my tears staining the beautiful dress with my regrets, my sorrows, and my memories of a life long past.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes... well, I liked this chapter significantly better then the other one. And I hope you all did too since I made you wait for an update for so long. Now I have several things to say in this author's note, so I'll do the first and foremost first.

All right, here it is. I've been writing fanfiction for almost five years and have been posting it online for nearly three. It's time I started an original work- which I have. My goal is to finish the first manuscript by the end of this summer and work on getting it ready to be submitting for publishing over the next school year. I've been trying to write at least ten pages a day to accomplish this goal. What does this mean to you as a reader? Simply that I don't have as much time to devote to my fanfiction. So that while I will still update, I won't be able to update as _often. _

Secondly, I got accepted to the college of my dreams (which is two miles from my house) and I will be starting summer courses this July (because both me and my mom are over achievers... what are you gonna do?) Again, another cut into my fanfic time. Top this with my job and my horses and my web design- get the picture? All this means really is that I'll probably be updating every ten days instead of once a week to give myself more time since I take my fanfiction schedule very seriously and feel lower then crap when I post chapters late. So... that is my really big announcement and I hope you will all forgive me. :) I envision SIMA tobe completed by the end of July at the earliest and I might post chapters more frequently if I get the time to write them up quickly- either way I am in no way abandoning this story... I'm just slowing down the pace. :)

Ok, note number two. You may have noticed at some point or other a little (1) mark up there in the chapter. It's because I stole that particular quote from an amazing novel called, _Wuthering Heights_, by: Emily Brontë- an excellent book by the way though highly depressing. Though morbid, the way the main characters described their love for eachother put me in tears, so I decided to put some of my favorite quotes in my fanfictions randomly as they suit me. The 1992 movie version starring Ralph Fiennes was excellent by the way- I have the hots for Ralph right now, amazing actor and even more amazingly beautiful and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a great, twisted romance with a heavy dark theme to it. It was wonderful. So ends my rant for Wuthering Heights.

Lastly... well... this is it for this obsene author's note. I apologize again for this very LATE update- I'm a terrible person yes I know. I'm sorry. You can badger me for more updates if you like on my website, it's on my author's bio. Also, if you want to state your opinion on the SIMA plot, have any questions or just want to tell me how I totally deserve Legolas (yes, understandable I know, but you really don't have to say so if you don't want to) then simply tell me in your review or log onto the website I made specifically for that reason. :) Remember, if you find any errors in the chapter- do let me know! I don't bite and I certainly don't mind. :)

Thanks to all you guys for reading and reviewing and please don't give up on me yet! And thanks a million to my wonderful beta, Kiann, without whom I'm be a puny, pathetic morsel. :) Toodles!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	56. Laughing Tears :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**Do you not know me?"**

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Six**

Laughing Tears

* * *

I didn't cry for very long. My lips tasted salty and my cheeks were wet. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and I rose, sniffling, and walked stiffly to gaze at myself in my old, rusted mirror. The dress hung loosely from my sickly and starved form. I saw nothing beautiful in that mirror. But for an instant... for just one instant... I thought I caught a glimpse of the girl, who looked both younger and happier then me, gaze at me from a more blest, long past time. That girl was beautiful... that girl who used to be me.

I felt like an imposter- but the vision ended and I was alone again. Alone. I could remember how wonderful that dress had looked when I had first seen it. I could remember how the mystery of it had enthralled me. I could remember when excitement when I had learned Faerlain had sent it for me. Memories. Memories from much happier times. Times long past... moments I would never relive again. Life was too short for this. It wasn't fair... but it didn't matter. The present was here and now- nothing else mattered. Nothing.

I stepped away from the mirror- suddenly feeling quite chilled by the girl I saw in the reflection. A girl with sunken eyes and a drawn face. A girl who was supposed to be me. Legolas was waiting for me beyond that bedroom door- it was cold but I hardly felt it. I gathered up my things into a leather sack I found in the corner. I slid the veil inside the sack and then left it on the bed, I would have time to retrieve it later.

There was something I still needed to do.

* * *

Legolas hadn't known where the cemetery was- I led him to it. I told him to wait for me by the flets as I slid off his horse. He didn't like leaving me- that I could tell without him saying it. But this was not his decision, it was mine.

"I'll be fine... sometimes it feels like I've lived in these woods longer then you."

This brought a soft smile to his lips and he moved to turn away. Then he paused, regarded me with calm, grey eyes. "You look beautiful you know."

Looked- I wanted to say. I had once looked beautiful. But that was the thing about Legolas- he never lied. To him, in one way or another, he saw something beautiful even if I did not. I smiled for him... and then he rode away. It wasn't snowing... but there was the faintest of breezes that rustled my dress and lanky hair. It blew through the barren trees and the few remaining star-flowers that held tight to their branches. It was quiet. I wandered through the gravestones till I found Elenowen's, little Turwithiel's, and lastly, Ana's. I rested by Ana's marker for a moment and ran my fingers over the simple lettering which inscribed her name. I felt a chill as I thought of the Ana who had visited me... who had helped me to get even this far.

I wondered if she was at peace now. I glanced at the other markers. I recalled an image of Elenowen- helping her to care for her little girl. A little girl I helped to bring into this world. A little girl who had died before her life had even begun. I remembered holding that little girl, Turwithiel, in my arms.

And there were so many more markers... so many more were gone. I found Mirlaic's and, kneeling, I stooped to kiss her name. _How I miss you. _I thought wistfully- wishing she would appear to me as Ana had. Mirlaic would have known all the answers to ease my confusion. She would have helped me to understand. But she wasn't here... I was alone. And I had to figure it all out on my own.

It was cold.

I placed a stone on the marker as my way of letting her know that I was thinking of her. Talorta's ashes hung still on the string about my neck. I removed it. It pained me as I opened the sack to see the tiny black ashes which were all that remained of my friend besides the memories I held inside my heart. I scooped out a handful and I let them fly on the winter wind.

They swirled about the cemetery- carried on the breeze until they disappeared. Refastened the sack- now nearly empty- about my neck until it came to rest once more by Faerlain's medallion. A twist of fate perhaps? It was strange that this medallion would have belonged to both the men I had loved... did love. Coincidence? I think not. Then, with the sobriety and reverence of one who mourns for the dead, I began to dance.

The dance I had first danced when I'd discovered I loved Faerlain. It was a dance of mortality. The snow seeped into my boots- dampening the cloth- but I hardly felt it. I twirled and lept and I could hear the music in my head as if I had played it myself. As if it had always been there, locked for eternity. The wind blew and the trees shook- but I did not cry... this was no time for tears.

It was a solemn event. My farewell to them and to my past life. I didn't know how long I danced, but eventually the sky grew dark with the murmur of a storm and the snow began to lightly fall.

I saw the figure out of the corner of my eye. He was standing by a tree naught six feet away. I was so startled that I missed my footing and landed hard on the ground, twisting my still tender shoulder painfully. Had Legolas come looking for me? Could he have so quietly snuck up on me? But no- there was his horse by the flets. I could see it's tail. Besides, the figure had appeared from the south.

I heard the footsteps crunching the snow noisily, hurriedly, and purposefully before I had time to look into the face. I was winded and tingles of pain from my arm blurred my vision momentarily as my eyes watered. I felt a strong hand on my arm as the figure knelt beside me. He was murmuring in Quenya- I could tell that much because I couldn't understand it.

It was a man, his voice was deep and rough though partially frantic by his tone. He slipped back into the common tongue and I realized that he was helping me up. "So cold... but you are no ghost. Could fate... no... do the Valar play tricks on me again?" He was saying as I looked up into his face. He had dark brown hair- long and pulled away from his face and displaying prominent, pointed ears. He had a strong jaw and a long scar running from his forehead and down across his eyes- slightly discoloring one. His skin was pale but he was strong and tall.

I was so mesmerized by his face that I hardly noticed how my shoulder stung or how tightly this stranger was gripping my arm as we stood... or how his own hand trembled. I studied his face again, his eyes were a soft grey- except for the discolored one which was more white.

"It can't be..." He whispered and it wasn't until he reached to touch my face that I broke from my trance like state. I drew back, shaken.

"Can I help you sir?" My heart beat wildy and I felt suddenly ill with a sense of foreboding. Who was this stranger? Why did I feel as though I had seen him before? His face fell and he looked so familiar that it was maddening.

"Do you not know me?" He asked, his voice soft- broken. "Do you not know me my little scholar?"

I was going to be sick... _who is he?_ He moved closer and I found I could not move... _his face... his eyes..._

"Do you not know me... Saronedhel?"

The name froze on his lips and he had a pleading look in his eyes. His eyes... _depth-less eyes_... I felt as if someone had kicked me in the stomach and my eyes watered with tears.

"_Faerlain_?" I whispered breathlessly, not believing my own eyes. But I knew even as I spoke the name that it was him, and that face and those eyes were his. That he was standing before me.

He lunged for me and my tears fell as he suddenly enveloped me in his arms, hugging me close as he buried his face in my hair and he shook with soft cries of his own. I didn't care if I was dead or dreaming just then. And I heard a sound... a strange sound. I was laughing and crying at once- I couldn't breathe.

I ran my hands through his hair, down his shoulders and back. It was unreal and at the same time the harshest reality I had ever perceived. It was Faerlain- a ghost or no I didn't care. It was _Faerlain_... he had come back to me.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm REALLY sorry about the delay in getting this chapter up! I had it all written out like... two weeks ago but some friends were visiting for the week and I had no time to type this chapter up- I'm REALLY sorry... truly:)

Now, to address this chapter. I don't know what any of you will be thinking when you read this. Sorry if I sort of shocked any of you- but I knew it was coming even if you didn't. :) And, of course, Faerlain's return means a BUTLOAD of angst coming to a computer screen near you... sorry mates. The next chapter will address some questions in need of answering, Legolas' reaction, and a newly developed love triangle. So sorry... we're still not quite at the 'happily ever after' part of this story. :)

Since I last updated I saw Superman Returns and PotC 2. AMAZING MOVIES! Superman left me in tears and PotC was a lot better then I expected it to be. I like the first one better... but ah well. For any readers of my PotC fics- I'm going to edit and repost the first one and then replot and redo the second. I've got my inspiration! Right now I'm also madly in love with Brandon Routh who played Superman so you all can expect a fanfic in one way or another about him. :)

I highly recommend BOTH movies and I WILL update soon! Toodles! And thanks so much to all of you who reviewed:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	57. Searching :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**I was looking for you... _everywhere._"**

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Seven**

Searching

* * *

Legolas heard her cries before he saw her face. He'd waited for hours by the flets- saw her dancing before he had turned away- knowing she'd asked him to leave because she needed to be alone. _Nothing could go wrong... I am right here. _His blood had gone cold and he'd whirled his horse around in a sudden panic. Fear gripped his heart as he thought of all that could have happened to her.

It was hard to see through the snow- even for his elven eyes. And he pushed his horse hard as they darted through the grave markers. He saw her and he reined his horse in so fast that the beast reared in fright. His breath was coming in harsh breaths and his blood was coursing hotly through his veins. She was crying... crying and laughing. Her arms and caresses all for a stranger who held her tightly to his chest.

Legolas dismounted subconsciously, warily reaching for his bow. But then the stranger and Victoria broke apart, and she looked to him... she was _smiling. _Her face brightened as she saw him and the worries of half a decade seemed to melt momentarily from her face as she laughed.

"Legolas! Legolas look! It's Faerlain... Faerlain has come back to us!" He face was alive- enlightened and Legolas found he had nothing to say as he shut his gaping mouth and turned to face the stranger. He had Faerlain's dark hair, Faerlain's height and build. Faerlain's eyes... except of course for the unfamiliar scar which had discolored one slightly. But this Faerlain's face had a look similar to that of Victoria's. Starved... haunted. Eyes sunken into his head. Yes... by appearances alone it was Faerlain. The Faerlain who had saved his life. The Faerlain who had been like a brother to him. The Faerlain who had loved Victoria.

Legolas found his smile at last though his insides felt hard and frozen. He concentrated on the measure of joy he felt at his friend's return... however small that measure might be. He embraced him- the younger elf stood slightly taller then himself. Faerlain lingered as they hugged and when they released each other Legolas still had that frozen smile plastered on his face. Faerlain was beaming.

"It is good to see you, brother." Legolas said softly to him.

Victoria was laughing. "This is wonderful!" She said happily, giddy in her excitement. She took both of their hands, seemingly oblivious to Legolas' strange behavior or the doubt in Faerlain's eyes as the two elves regarded each other with unbridled indifference. Victoria had been speaking and Legolas turned to her now to give her his full attention.

"We must make camp!" She was saying excitedly- speaking so fast that she seemed almost like a school girl and more then a decade younger. "Fires... tents! Everything!"

Legolas assumed his role as host and gestured for a few of the on-looking warriors to come over. "Prepare a camp- we have a guest worth celebrating."

It was easy- the initial shock had passed. He had been trained since birth to entertain guests- he was a prince after all. He knew how to play act the part, knew how to play act pleasantries with all sorts of people. He just never thought he'd have to play it with Faerlain. But no matter how much he tried- the coldness in his stomach wouldn't go away when he saw Victoria and him together.

* * *

She didn't seem to notice anything she was so happy. They sat together by the fire- Victoria had insisted. She said something about sitting 'Indian Style'... and neither elf had any idea what she meant. They just followed her example and sat cross-legged by the fire, the warriors guarding the perimeter. Cudir and Faerlain had had a warm reunion, but Cudir refused an invitation to join them at the fire.

"I am still on duty." He said apologetically thought Legolas noted his eyes never lost their stern, war-weary look, though he'd wiped away tears when he'd embraced his old friend again. Cudir disappeared into the night, moving soundlessly between the outposts. Legolas didn't know what to think, feel, or what to say. And he could tell easily that Faerlain felt just as awkward. But still Victoria remained oblivious and blissfully happy.

"Where have you been?" Victoria asked at length, her face beaming.

Faerlain cleared his throat, smiling at her. "I was on the borders..." He began, pausing as if not knowing what he could say. Victoria saved him the trouble.

"I thought you were dead." She said bluntly, awe struck- as if remembering something from a dream. Faerlain shrugged.

"I wasn't." Faerlain told how he had been grievously wounded in the orc attack- receiving his scar. "I can still see with it." He said. "The colors are sometimes strange though... like viewing the world through a fog... or a dream."

Legolas saw the medallion around Victoria's neck and he felt the pit in his stomach again. Faerlain seemed to have caught a glimpse of it too, because he glanced at Legolas who had turned his gaze once more in Victoria in evident concern. She paused in her chattering and Faerlain glanced curiously at her. Legolas frowned and the movement to brush cautionary hand against her forehead was so natural that he never even recalled that it might cause Faerlain some embarrassment.

"You are feverish." He murmured, noticing then how alarmed Faerlain looked as he stared long and hard at Victoria.

"You are ill?" He asked in concern.

"Arrow wound... poison... nothing serious." She slurred dreamily, smiling as her eyes drooped slightly and she swayed, looking intoxicated. Legolas wasn't listening. He urged Victoria to say good-night and then brought her to her tent without a word, leaving a confused and startled Faerlain in his wake.

* * *

Faerlain had risen to his feet by the time Legolas came back from settling Victoria down for the night. She had fallen asleep even before her head touched the pillow. The tall, grey-eyed elf stood staring into the flames- a frown on his face and his features twisted into an expression of puzzlement.

It was difficult... after Faerlain had rescued him the two had been close for a long time before Faerlain had returned home. Faerlain knew something was wrong now... and Legolas also knew that his friend... former friend... had changed. Had changed very much.

"Thinking?" Legolas asked casually as he approached the fire.

Faerlain turned his gaze to him. He almost seemed surprised to see Legolas there. _No more surprised then I am to find you alive, my old friend. _He mused silently.

"Is she asleep?" Faerlain asked softly.

It had snowed earlier but Legolas didn't feel it. He inclined his head. "She was exhausted... she had a long day."

Faerlain nodded- pursed his lips. "What happened... Legolas?" He asked quietly.

And again, Legolas was speechless. When at last he found his voice his words were slow and careful. "Where have you _been?_"

Faerlain looked down. "I was on the borders after the massacre..." He paused, choosing the right words for what he wanted to say. "I came back here to find her... and I did."

Empty answers- but Legolas wasn't one to pry. If Faerlain wished to hide something from him... fine. They weren't exactly close anymore anyway. But there was no pretending now- Legolas could admit to himself that he was starting to regret Faerlain's resurrection... no matter how much joy it brought to Victoria.

"She was in the graveyard today... saying good-bye."

Faerlain looked at him curiously. "To whom?"

"This place... the people she loved... you."

Faerlain winced and turned away. Legolas sighed.

"You've been gone for a long time, Faerlain. I am not the one who should answer your questions." It hurt him to speak, hurt him to think that he might lose her... after everything that she might slip through his fingers once more. That everything that had happened, she would be gone. But it was the right thing to do- it was what she would have wanted of him.

"You should talk to her." He continued. "She has been hurt too many times." He turned without a word for the tents. "Good night."

But Faerlain didn't respond- his gaze remained transfixed in the flames.

* * *

It was a dark and misty night- the kind dreams come from. And I felt half of my mind lulling me back to sleep as I awoke. But I was awake now- which meant telling myself to go back to sleep was pointless since half of me was already awake. I sat up, blinking the remains of sleep from my eyes and glancing around.

I was in a tent and I could vaguely remember Legolas tucking me in. He had been talking to me but I'd been too giddy with fever and happiness to listen. My mind was still now and the camp was quiet. I was still wearing my presentation gown. I pushed the covers from my body and I wondered if it had all been a dream... a wonderful dream. But it hadn't been- I knew that.

I stood and, peering out of my tent flaps, I saw no one. I knew subconsciously that the warriors would be keeping guard around the borders of the village. There were a few other tents set up and if I had known which one was Legolas' I would have gone to him... I felt... confused. But I didn't know.

There had been no conflict in my heart up until this point- only ecstasy. Now here it was- the throbbing beginnings that I knew would soon burn with an intensity I might never satisfy. And yet I knew no way to stop it. I didn't have long to ponder on my conflicting feelings however- for I thought I heard someone walking out on the snow. My eyes strained in the darkness to find the perpetrator. Elves move soundlessly- but I was the only non-immortal currently in the village. Something must be wrong.

I slipped out of my tent, spying the dark figure who had come to a halt on the edge of the village square and was now staring down the street to the forest. The fire was dying but by its weakly flickering flames I could see the tall figure with long, dark hair that I had come to recognize as Faerlain. My mouth twitched in a soft smile but I couldn't find the right words to use. I moved silently to his side and placed a hand on his broad shoulder.

He winced slightly- he felt cold. But when he looked over his shoulder at me his eyes warmed and he placed his own hand over mine, dwarfing its size. "Have trouble sleeping?" I asked as I moved in front of him and for a moment, Faerlain's eyes were all that spoke. They were full of warmth... tenderness.

"I don't sleep often anymore." He said at last.

That wasn't healthy, even for an elf. But I decided not to say anything about it as I slipped my hand into his own and squeezed it. Faerlain looked at me once over and an unbidden smile formed on his lips. "You found it?"

I glanced down at my faded dress. "Yes." I said simply, not knowing where to begin or how to explain all that had been left previously unsaid. He understood.

"And you are feeling better?"

I nodded, flushing slightly in embarrassment. "I was a little... excited."

Faerlain nodded- still smiling. "It was amusing- I don't usually have that affect on people." I wondered if he was talking about Legolas. His words were soft- but they were full of a deeper meaning, one I hoped I didn't understand. But for me, taken as they were, they were a renewal of that dry humor of his I used to love. I chuckled. There was an awkward silence for a moment and then questions began to whirl around in my head so fast that I thought I might burst.

My smile faded and I realized that I was clutching his hand so tightly that my knuckles were whitening. I looked up at him and with my free hand I turned his gaze to mine so that I could look into his eyes. "Where have you _been_?" I asked huskily, not daring to speak above a whisper for fear that my voice might break. Faerlain's eyes closed and I felt him start to tremble in my grasp.

Concern flooded my mind and I caressed his cheek. "Hey... hey..." I cooed, unnerved to see him so shaken. He seemed unable to speak for a moment and I tugged at his hand. "Come on." I said gently. "I want to show you something."

* * *

I led him to the edge of the village and the snow covered the trees. The warriors let us pass though I had a feeling they wouldn't be far. Faerlain had to duck under a few, low hanging branches but I could see by the expression on his face that he had no idea where we were going. A smile twitched at the corners of my mouth as I pulled him faster along a path I would remember until the day I died.

"Here we are." I said to him and last and I stopped as we reached a clearing by a frozen stream. I was breathless as I turned back to face him and Faerlain's brows were creased.

"Where are we?" He asked.

The stream had frozen over, and I could still see by the glow of the star-trees that a few flowers remained still on their branches. A warm light danced over us in the darkness.

"Don't you remember?" I asked in Sindarin. "This is where we used to have our lessons."

Faerlain's eyes widened as he released my hand, gazing around in wonder. "I remember now." He said, brushing his hand over the rough bark of the old willow tree. He turned round to look at me, eyes shining.

"I still have it you know." I said, pulling out the medallion from under my tunic.

His eyes rested upon it and a pained look appeared on his face. My smile faded and the tormented question I'd wondered for so long sprang unbidden to my lips once more. "Where have you _been_?" Could he even begin to understand what I had suffered because of him? For him? He was trembling again, but I didn't move to comfort him. This was our barrier. This was what was keeping us apart.

He looked at me, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Victoria... I was-" He faltered but he didn't finish for a long moment. I stared at him, frozen. My hands clenched into fists at my sides. He looked at me again and I felt his sorrow and his tears in all of a moment and I wished I could take him into my arms and tell him everything was all right- but it wasn't.

"I was looking for you." He said brokenly.

My heart stopped beating.

He shook his head, bit his lip. "I was looking for you... _everywhere."_

* * *

**A/N: **Yes... I am sorry medears. There is angst yet to come. Now I have to thank everyone for their support- I am only a few reviews away from 700! That's AMAZING! Thank you all so much:) I will not reveal anything about what is to come. Only that I promise this story won't fall into the plot as most Legomances w/ a love triangle. :)

In the mean time, I hope you are all thankful for this rather quick update. I'm so close to the end of the story that, while I'll be sad when this is all over, I'm actually rather anxious to finish it. :) Also, I NEED to finish it before my semester starts (8/28) because I'm enrolled full time this year and I will have NO life for a while. :) Thanks to everyone for their good luck wishes! I'm taking 5 classes... mostly core classes I need for my degree which won't really be all that interesting. Ah well. What really sucks is that my first class, a 4 hour bio class, stars on my b-day. (8/28) So from 5:30 to 9:30 PM I'll be doing biology. How sucky is that:P Well... not to have a pity party here. I won't bore you any longer.

Thanks for all your reviews and support! I am astounded by all the reviews I've been getting for these chapters, thank you all so much! And thanks, of course, to my beta Kiann. :) Toodles all:)

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	58. Say It :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote: "**... I learned how to laugh again. I wasn't made from stone anymore.**"

**I HAVE PASSED THE 700 reviews mark! YAY! THANKS TO: yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds for giving me that 700th review and thanks to you all for getting me this far!**

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Eight**

Say It

* * *

I stood frozen, staring at him in disbelief. "_What?_" I finally managed in a horrified whisper, my eyes wide. Faerlain shook his head angrily and turned away from me. I could still see him trembling in the faint light. 

"I was fighting on the borders when word reached me of the massacre. I was granted leave and I traveled as fast as I could back to Gilloth." He slammed a fist against the tree and I started. "There was already a company there, burying the dead, when I arrived. A few were former inhabitants like myself- Cudir was there. He told me that the only body he couldn't find... was yours." The muscles in his back were taunt and I flinched as I thought of Faerlain arriving home only to find death where once was life.

Sorrow where once was joy.

He shook his head, laughing bitterly. "It gave me hope when we could find no sign of Talorta either. I thought- wished- that perhaps you had escaped." He was looking at me now- but his face was wreathed in shadow. "I searched tirelessly day and night for you for two years- not long for an elf, but it felt like a waking nightmare. I imagined all of the horrible things that might have happened to you because I hadn't been here."

His voice faltered, filled momentarily with the memories of old pains, deeply buried. "I returned to the village twice a year. I searched the entirety of Mirkwood... I even wandered into mortal countries... countries I knew you had never been to but might have gone. But I found not a single trace of your existence." He gestured to the scar over his eye. "I was robbed of my belongings and left for dead one day. I was found in the forest by my sister."

My eyes widened perceptively and I drew a short breath.

"For a year I was senseless with sickness and madness. And for a year she nursed me back to health until I was well once more. She told me how she had been searching for a ghost called Gwenél... how she had her suspicions that this ghost might help us... so I took up the search with her." He gestured to the forest, his voice dark and low. "So I have been ever since- searching and hoping for a ghost who probably never existed. I was returning to the village for the last time before I left the forest for a greener country when it was then that I finally found you."

He turned to me, eyes wide and pleading. "You were standing there... as if nothing had ever happened, as if we had always been-" He neared me, but I found that I had drawn back, from surprise or fear I didn't know. But I instantly regretted it when I saw the pain in his eyes. "Victoria... where were _you_?" He asked. "I searched all of Mirkwood and found nothing that would lead me to you. What happened?"

I stared at him... feeling stupid when I couldn't think of anything to say. "I...I..." I stammered... and then I stopped, breathing deeply. I took a deep breath and I told him what the last five years had been like for me. This time I didn't cry.

* * *

We were both silent when I finished and he stared long and hard at me. "That was it then." He said. "You came back... for evidence?" 

I nodded, unable to meet his gaze as my face burned with shame. "You were dead. " I said, trying to make him understand what I needed to tell him. "You were dead... and it had been because of me." I shook my head. "I didn't think I could ever forgive myself. I wished every day that I might die... just so I could leave this all behind." I looked up at him, my eyes shining. "When I met Legolas..." I hesitated, trying to form what I was trying to say into a coherent thought. "... I learned how to laugh again. I wasn't made from stone anymore."

"He showed me how I could live... live as I never knew how. And he helped me to forget..." And then I stopped staring at him... but Faerlain stared still at me.

"Life... fate... irony." He murmured, he grabbed my arms, not in anger, but in desperation. "You found love again... you moved on."

My face blanched, paling. I swallowed hard. "Faerlain I-"

"You love him." He said softly... incredulously. "You love him now... love him as once you loved me."

"Faerlian no I-" But what... what did I have to say? Yes... I did love Legolas, loved him with all my heard. But I loved Faerlain too- with an intensity that had driven me insane when he had gone. "I do love him." I whispered. I gazed up at him- searching his eyes. "And I love you... loved you so much that I wanted to die when you were taken from me."

He shook his head. "You _promised _me... you promised me that you would wait for me."

I smiled brokenly. "I did wait... I waited for so _long. _"

We were only inches apart... his eyes glowed with the reflection from the star-trees. My eyes widened, but I found I could not pull away. I felt his hand release my arm and rest on my back... but I stood frozen against him. Unable to move or to speak.

"Faerlain-" I whispered, but I never got the chance to continued. Suddenly his mouth was crushing mine, seeking me hungrily, earnestly. And I found I could not resists him... even if I had wanted to... as I kissed him back. I saw stars... my hand slid up to his shoulders and I felt his pain... his fears.

And I remembered Legolas... and I tore from him, gasping. We stopped, his forehead pressed to mine as we held each other breathlessly. "Say you do not love me." He said softly, his warm breath tingling my skin. "Say you do not love me and I will leave you forever."

No! I couldn't give him up again- I just couldn't. Half of me wanted desperately to kiss him again- to feel his passion and his love once more. But the other half was screaming for me to remember Legolas... still asleep back in camp. He couldn't ask this of me... he just _couldn't. _To try and make me decide between my first love and the love that had saved me from myself. _Oh God... help me..._

"I need to go..." I whispered, fleeing from him as tears began to stream down my cheeks. He didn't follow... didn't say anything. I fled back to my tent and I collapsed on the floor. I curled up under the blankets and I cried until morning... more confused and torn then ever.

* * *

**A/N: **What did I tell ya? Angst... yep. I'm an angst addict. To correct a few incorrect, (but very good) theories, Faerlain never did go to Victoria's world. To date, she hasn't told anyone that she really isn't from Middle-earth. So everyone basically thinks she's from some 'mortal country' as Faerlain calls them. A very short chapter... and I apologize. The next one will be longer. But this one was all about Faerlain and Victoria reuniting and I knew it couldn't be too long... so here it is. Preview for the next chapter: Victoria battles with her decision over Faerlain and Legolas. Legolas and Faerlain have a little chat. The company starts heading back to the palace. 

Until then! Thanks for all your guys' support! Updates will come probably within two or three days because I'm rather excited about finishing this story... though it will be a bittersweet parting. And I give my sympathies to any Faerlain/Vic shippers who are reading this chapter... I haven't been kind to you. :) And thanks a million to my beta, Kiann! Till the next update!

**TO BE CONTINUED!**


	59. Getting Old :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote**: "It would be an injustice to have you convicted falsely of crimes against Mirkwood."**

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Nine**

Getting Old

* * *

"Shall we be returning to the palace, your majesty?" Asked Cudir of Legolas that next morning. The air was crisp and the sky spoke of an impending storm. Winter in Mirkwood.

"As soon as possible." Legolas replied. "Faerlain has returned... his is all the evidence Victoria will need to testify in court."

Cudir nodded, following Legolas' gaze as he looked about the village. "I do not think I will miss it here." Cudir said softly, shaking his head. Legolas turned to him for explanation. "The dead are in peace..." He nodded as a silent salute. "... I would like to leave it that way."

Legolas nodded. "Where will you go?"

Cudir shrugged. "I am not sure... I have served in the king's guard for a long while... I think it might be my time."

Legolas' eyes widened in surprise. "You will pass?"

Cudir inclined his head. "Justice has been brought to the dead... there is nothing left here for me now."

It shouldn't have been surprising. Many elves had left for the green country after the War of the Ring, Lord Elrond of Rivendell and Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien included. And it would be so easy for Cudir... he would have family waiting for him as Legolas would when his own time came to cross the seas to Valinor. But Legolas had something... someone... here now. It would not be so easy. _Could I ever pass? Could I ever say good-bye to her?_ He glanced at Victoria's tent. She was asleep... he had looked in on her earlier that morning.

"I wish you happiness." He said quietly and Cudir took his outstretched hand. "Thank you, your majesty." He gestured to the village borders. "I should get back to the outposts." Legolas nodded. The fire was cackling healthily as it had the night before. Legolas warmed his hands by it even though he didn't feel the cold. At least... not on the outside. Inside he felt as cold as ice as he thought of Victoria leaving him in Faerlain's arms. The thought of Victoria's kisses and love given to a man she hadn't laid eyes on in five years.

It made him cold... cold and sick with anxiety. The fire did little, if anything at all, to ease that chill that came not from the winter air... but from his own fearful heart. He heard footsteps and he glanced over his shoulder and noted with surprise that Faerlain was walking back from the woods, shaken and pale. Legolas gestured for him to come closer.

"The fire is warm." He said and, hesitating, Faerlain came forward. "Are you well?" He asked of his old friend, though inside it was hard enough just to be civil with the latter elf. But Faerlain was no longer listening, he stood still as stone- staring into the flames. Legolas frowned when the latter didn't answer and he touched his arm. "Faerlain?" The younger elf started, looking at him as if he were surprised to see him standing there. "Are you all right?"

Faerlain nodded, seeming far away... "Can I ask you a question, Legolas?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

"Of course." Legolas answered. No matter what Faerlain was to Legolas, an ally or rival, he deserved at least common courtesy for old time's sake.

"When you met Victoria... was she- different- then she is now?"

Legolas thought of Victoria laughing the night before. Speaking with him about anything that came to her mind during their long journey to the village. He recalled how unrelenting she had been when they had first met... how angry and violent she had acted. How deeply in love she had been with Faerlain... how deeply she loved... or still loved himself. He pursed his lips and slowly nodded.

"Yes." He murmured. "Very different."

* * *

I could hear voices and footsteps milling about as I awoke. I felt sick... and no more rested then I had been going to sleep last night. Faerlain... Oh God this was _killing _me! How could he possibly ask this of me? _Say you love me... leave you forever. _Forever. I would die one day... but if I said no to him... he would remember that rejection for _eternity. _How on earth could I refuse either of them?

How could I say to whom my heart belonged if it was so cleanly divided in half? I pushed myself up, glanced around the tent. It was morning... my head hurt and I knew my eyes were red and puffy from crying. But I couldn't stay in here forever. Legolas had supplied me with a few, simple winter gowns when we had still be at the palace. I shuffled through my bag until I found a brown one and I shivered as I slid out of my soiled presentation gown. I would clean it later. It was colder this morning and I threw a cloak over my shoulders to take the winter's chill from my body. I quickly combed and braided my hair and then slipped out of the tent.

They were both by the fire when I emerged and both of them turned to me as I approached them with a growing sense of trepidation brewing in my stomach.

"Did you sleep well?" Legolas asked politely... he seemed to still be in the dark about what had transpired between Faerlain and I the night before. I found that I couldn't tell him.

I nodded, shivering, and I hugged my arms about myself. I stood between them, not stepping closer to either and holding out my hands to the flames to warm them. Neither Faerlain nor I spoke and I could almost imagine Legolas' brows rising as he watched the two of us suffer through an awkward silence. He cleared his throat.

"I was speaking with Faerlain earlier... he said he would be more then willing to testify in court on your behalf."

"He did... did he?" I shot him a questioning look, surprised to find that they had been talking about me. Faerlain modestly inclined his head but swiftly avoided my gaze.

"It would be an injustice to have you convicted falsely of crimes against Mirkwood." He said simply. He wouldn't call it Eryn Lasgalen as most of the other elves. Just as Araviniel and I would not.

He did not say 'crimes against me', but I read his meaning in the words and I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Legolas interjected again. "We can begin out return journey today... you have your evidence."

I turned back to the fire and rubbed my hands together. "Yes." I answered softly. "I am ready to leave this place."

Neither of them argued with me.

* * *

I didn't return to the cemetery and we eft the village otherwise untouched. It would be a memorial to those who had perished here for all of eternity. Eternity. I couldn't imagine _eternity... _I couldn't even imagine my own _future_. I would be banished from Mirkwood... even when Faerlain testified. And even then, where would I go and with whom? I couldn't go on loving the both of them forever. It would need to have an end... and that was a decision that I alone had to make.

Legolas seemed to sense something was wrong between Faerlain and I and he kept his distance. It was something I loved about him. And then there was Faerlain, desperate with longing to speak with me and realizing at the same time that I needed space. That was something I loved about him.

But dammit! I couldn't make a list of pro's and con's for the two of them and decide that way!

I helped pack up camp even though all the elves seemed indignant at the mere thought. Though most of our escort considered me guilty, they had been bred manners for centauries. I wasn't in a mood to listen to their feeble arguments, however, and I continued to work anyway. And then, of course, there was Faerlain and Legolas constantly staring at me from all ends of the camp. It was unnerving at best, annoying at worst. I was torn between murdering them or simply hiding in a corner and crying.

We mounted up at a little past noon, all on our own horses. I wondered where the warriors had gotten the new horses... but I didn't bother to ask. Elves... though they deny it... have a certain magic of their own... I was certain. What else could explain the spell that those two fools had woven over me? Of course, it had to be _my _fate that I had to fall in love with _two _elves instead of just one. And that, fate would have it, that they would be connected... and not dead... and neither horrible enough to make it easy for me to choose between them.

The ride back was silent and much different then my first journey with Legolas. That had felt like a honeymoon. Now we were all somber and morbid as we rode. The two of them flanked me on large, elven mounts the entire way... as if I might break or something. It was irritating. We stopped to make camp at dusk and Legolas tried to make conversation... but after some, long, awkward silences- he gave up and we ate our evening meal wordlessly.

I was angry more at Faerlain then Legolas for no reason really- I would have had to make this decision eventually ... I was just frustrated that I had to make it _now. _I was not a happy camper as the days passed and my moods gradually grew darker and darker. I grew more miserable at the thought of having to say good-bye to either one of them... but also knowing we would never be happy just as we were. My suitors gradually grew more downcast as we rode on. But I didn't care.

_Good... _I thought angrily to myself. _It's your fault that I'm in_ _this mess. _But I couldn't stay angry at them forever just as I wouldn't live forever. Because I didn't have forever. And I wouldn't have _them _forever.

_Damn._

* * *

I didn't know what to do. I loved Faerlain... I really did. Or rather... I _had_. And I _had _waited for him... and I _had_ terrorized Mirkwood to take revenge for his death. And I _had _forgotten him.

And Legolas had saved me... and he had won my heart. But how could I ever chose between them? It was like asking which child should be spared... which life should be taken. I wasn't a god to chose life and death for those whom I loved. I was Victoria... and by heaven and hell I wasn't even suppose to _be _here. And neither of them knew it. And they never would- because I would never tell them.

Because I would decide.

And I would hate myself.

* * *

The dawn of the third day came. My wounds were nearly healed besides a few aches here and there. We still weren't talking.

"We are a few days from the palace." Legolas said softly.

I nodded but I didn't look back to either of them. I wanted to run and leave this decision behind. I wanted to leave... leave them to decide their own fate... but I couldn't. My love for Faerlain had been buried under so much pain and heartache that I was surprised any of it had survived at all. But I knew something had changed between us... because the both of us had changed. Even our love had changed.

Where once was a bittersweet ache was now a hunger- a longing to taste the forbidden fruit that I could see every time I looked into his grey eyes. They were a soft grey, a marked difference then Legolas' which seemed bright enough to be made of steel at times. No... Faerlain's eyes were like a stormy sea. A sea filled with despair... and longing. And then there was Legolas... and I knew my silence was hurting him even more... because I hadn't chose him right away- though he would never dream of voicing that aloud.

But even this longing I felt for Faerlain hardly held a candle for what I felt for Legolas. It was something much deeper... much stronger... that radiated throughout my body like the air I breathed. But how do you tell someone that? How do you tell them that they waited, searched... hoped... for nothing.

How can you gently break someone's heart? How do you ease the mutilation of a soul? So I kept my silence... and I said nothing. And I hurt the two of them even more.

The forest was silent- even the wind had died down. I wanted to badly to leave them... so whirl my horse around and gallop from the forest where none of them would ever find me. But I knew such a choice would kill me...worse then indecision was killing me now. So I stayed... though I died a little more whenever I looked into either of their eyes.

Mirkwood had felt dead to me for a long time... but I knew as our horses plodded silently along the road that something was wrong. I have long since learned the smell of death. The warriors in front stopped and I could hear my suitors/torturers both simultaneously draw their swords. If I hadn't been so miserable I would have laughed... they were both more alike then they knew.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice hoarse from days of silence and nights of tears.

The warrior in front never answered- he never had the chance. The orcs attacked us with more speed and brilliance then I had ever allotted to their foul race. And I thought, as Legolas tossed me a sword and both he and Faerlain formed a protective circle around me how _old _this was getting.

And how much I longed for an end.

* * *

**A/N: **I know what you're thinking- the millionith orc attack on these poor group of people is getting rather old. Well- I agree. That's why this chapter was called such. But I've been planning this particular orc attack for over a year now- so there was no changing it. I think that can give you all enough of a pit of dread in your stomachs to last until the next update. :)

Now, as for poor Victoria (I pity her... I really do.) This chapter was rather... well... repetitive because I wanted to show her thoughts and, obviously, her mind would be constantly warring over how on earth she was going to decide between the two elves she loved- hence this chapter.

I'm so close to the end now that updates should be coming within every five or six days. So sit tight... I think this will blow everyone away... at least I hope so. :) A shoutout to my cousin, Cailey, who was bunking at my house for three weeks and went home a few days ago (my room feels so empty!) and has been pleading for this chapter ever since she got hooked on it. I miss you luv:)

Thanks SO much to everyone for their reviews, I hope future chapters don't disappoint! But don't keep silent you all- I'd love to hear your opinions on this most recent development, who you favor more... Vic and Faerlain or Vic and Legolas? Cailey is a HUGE advocate of Faerlain and Vic and wants me to rewrite the whole story so that Vic and him can get married and have lots of immortal/mortal babies. :) While my sister, Ashley, is an avid fan of Vic and Legolas with some amply sympathy for Faerlain. So drop me a line and tell me what you think! And I promise a swift update in return! And, as always, thanks a million to my beta, Kiann:)


	60. Please :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote**: "But you will _never _be alone."**

* * *

**Chapter Sixty**

Please

* * *

There might have only been twenty of them to our group of fifteen. But even the best trained warriors couldn't have prepared for so lethal an attack. The elf riding beside Cudir was struck instantly. The orcs didn't ride their demon wolves, this time they fell from the trees like spiders- landing on the backs of the elven horses before the warriors could even draw their swords. The horse beneath me reared in fright and I kicked my feet free of their stirrups and slid off its back before it plunged madly into the forest. 

The orc I faced was half my size- but what he lacked in height he met in agility and strength. And I knew by the sudden pain radiating in my left arm that opponent had drawn first blood. My countenance darkened and I felt my former self, the person I used to call _Gwenél_, shift into a battle stance. I moved into a defensive position and kept all emotion from my face as the orc attacked- only this time I was ready for him.

He sneered and cursed me as I easily parried his uncoordinated blows. But I felt nothing. Not anger or aggression to draw blood... his blood... that I had felt in a long, _long_ time. I saw nothing besides the blackness of his eyes and the beads of sweat dripping down his face. I heard nothing besides the quickness of his breath as I slowly played him for weaknesses... until it was too late for him to realize that something was wrong.

That moment came in a swift movement in which I impaled him gracefully with my blade. Victoria would have winced and jerked away as the orc's life drained through the gaping wound in his chest. But I wasn't Victoria... I was Gwenél... and I twisted the blade inside of him and met his stunned gaze coldly as the life left his eyes. I grunted in satisfaction as he slid with a thud to the ground. I wiped his blood on the hem of my dress- it felt warm and slick between my fingers.

I turned to my next foe. But there seemed to be so many of them to the gloom and darkness that darkened my mind- and the elves seemed so few. I imagined I was alone. That once again I was in that dark place inside of myself where no one would find me... where no one could take anything away from me. But even then there was the weakest of whispers. _You were saved... you were saved..._

Three orcs lay dead at my feet... victims of my sword. And this time... I shuddered as their dark blood trickled down my arm. My hands were shaking. I looked for Legolas... but he was locked in combat. My eyes flooded with tenderness and it was then I realized that Faerlain was watching me. From across the battlefield, my gaze melded with his... and I realized he understood. He knew. He _knew. _Words lept to my throat... useless words... but there was no time to explain... nothing.

I saw the orc standing far from the camp when no one else did. I froze when I saw him maliciously lick his lips and fit an arrow to his bow. I saw gleam in his eyes as he targeted his prey. My heart stopped beating. _Legolas. _He was going to kill Legolas... and I found I could do nothing to save him. _...You were saved... you were saved..._ My body seemed turned to stone- and I found I could utter no word as I stared at him in horror. _...You were saved... you were saved..._ The arrow flew... I imagined I could hear the twang even above the din of the battle... and it soared through the air... straight to Legolas' heart.

Faerlain saw it too... and a look of fear flashed in his eyes for only a moment- but that look was replaced with another emotion so strong that it made me quiver. Fidelity... loyalty...love. Love to sacrifice one's self to give the one you love another chance. _Love. _

I stared helplessly as Faerlain slashed his way through his enemies as the arrow flew. I watched as he shoved Legolas out of the way... and I started to scream when I heard the dull thud of the arrow as it pierced his chest... I heard the whir of air as another arrow shot past him.

Both fell... an orc bashing Legolas' face brutally with his shield as they plummeted to the ground. I killed him first... now that I found I had feeling in my limbs once more. In a blind rage I found my legs at last and with white hot fear numbing my mind I charged at my enemy. I slew them.

It was over.

None of the elves had died... there were a few wounded. But the orcs... they were dead... all of them. I would have smirked with victory... but that would have been Gwenél smirking. Not me. I only felt a numbing blindness as I stood motionless on the field... and it was then I realized that neither Faerlain or Legolas had risen... and that all the elves had gathered around them.

My face blanched and my sword clattered to the ground. I forgot momentarily how to breathe... and I whirled to them. They wouldn't let my near Legolas. Something was wrong but they wouldn't say. I started to panic and I was ready to attack them when I heard the quiet voice of a younger elf from behind me.

"Lady Victoria?" He said, averting his gaze from my reddened eyes and my bloodied hands. Legolas had forbade them to call me Gwenél. It reminded me... why was he bothering me? _I needed to see Legolas! I needed to see him NOW._ I was about to turn from him impatiently when he called my name again. This time he spoke gently... calmly. The sane voice broke into the depths of my confusion.

"What is it?" I asked sharply... only his pleading tone made me stay.

"It's Lord Faerlain, milady..."

A stab of fear sliced through me like fire and I suddenly remembered the arrows... the sound they had made as they had hit him. I gasped. "What's happened? Where is he!"

He gestured meekly behind him and I searched his face with wild, probing eyes.

"He's dying milady."

* * *

_Stupid... stupid Faerlain!_ I couldn't think as I ran to him- stumbling over the dead bodies as the warrior paced my disoriented movements. _He's dying... he's dying..._ _NO! _It couldn't be true! Arrow wounds weren't always fatal... but I couldn't forget how loud the arrow had sounded when it had pierced his chest. How resolute he had looked as blood poured forth from the wound. 

I wanted to vomit.

_This is happening too fast! This wasn't suppose to happen! Didn't I deserve a 'happily ever after' after all of this? Wasn't that my right? I didn't understand... and I wanted to curse God for what he was doing to me. But I was too stunned to be angry... too hurt to curse. _I found that I couldn't speak as I stopped beside him... found that I couldn't breathe as I looked into his face.

My knees gaze out and I feel beside him, tears coursing down my cheeks as he gazed at me with love. _Love! How could he love me? How could he leave me when I was the one supposed to leave? _His eyes... once so full of tenderness and love were racked with pain and weariness. His veins had blackened in many parts of his body... he writhed slightly in agony. The arrow had pierced his heart... and I realized numbly that he had been poisoned... and that he _was_ really dying.

He seemed to see me suddenly and his labored breathing evened. His eyes- so sad, filled with a gleam of hope. Hope that threatened to drive me insane. I took his hand into mine... but he was already too weak to squeeze it.

"My Saronedhel." He whispered and again I fought reality. _No... no... no... NO! This was not happening!_ Too fast... it had happened too fast. He wasn't dying... he would get better... he'd- He must have seen the emotions play on my face. Because he smiled... smiled for _me. _No... it was too much. They could _not _ask this of me... could not take him from me... not again... not like _this_.

"I shouldn't have made you decide." He said softly... the first of us to speak.

I shook my head and brought his hand to my cheek. He felt so _cold..._ "No... you had every right... but you won't leave me now... you'll get better... I'll..."

He be silenced me, weakly shaking his head. His voice was soft... raspy. "You were right to love Legolas. I knew it from the first. He saved you when I did not... he-"

I shook my head, moaning. "No... please Faerlian..._no..."_

"He was good to you. He deserved you."

"I have always loved you." I whispered. "I did everything... I... I-" _I killed for you. _That's what I had wanted to say. _I killed for you... and I am ashamed of what I have done. Because you would have never wanted... you... Oh God... what have I become? _But he already knew... knew even without my words.

"Then love me." He said gently. How could he be comforting me now when it was he who was facing the void? When he was the one dying when it should have been me? Over and _over_ again? "Did the ends justify the means?" He continued. "Can you truly say good-bye?"

And he knew... he knew that it would happen all over again if I didn't say it now... before it was too late. It was all he asked of me... but I would have rather cut out my heart then say it to him just then. He wanted me to say to say that it was true... wanted me to admit what I had wanted to hide from him. That I loved Legolas. That everything I had felt for Faerlain had been buried along with a past that had died the day I returned to that village and held Mirlaic as she died in my arms... just as I held Faerlain now. He wanted to die in peace... in _peace_ with the knowledge he had saved the man I loved... so that I would be happy.

But I couldn't do that to him... not to _him... _not _now..._ "But you have to." He whispered, his voice growing fainter as he held my gaze. An agonizing cough racked his body and my hand flew to his wound- as if to heal it with my mere touch. His heartbeat felt so weak now... would his life slip between my fingers as had countless others I had taken? Orc or no?

"We are all running from something." He said quietly. "Bravery... is when we stop."

He couldn't ask this of me... he just _couldn't_... I had to lean close to him not to hear his words. But I had to explain... had to make him understand. "I can't lose you again." I whispered brokenly. My hand, entwined with his own, rested over his heart. And he held my gaze... even as his own life faded.

"You never will." He whispered.

And I kissed him. It would be the last kiss I ever gave him... and a part of myself died with him as I realized I would be the last person who ever held him. But he knew... and I knew... and it was enough. That our love would remain with him... buried with him... _forever_.

"Good-bye." I breathed into his ear- and just as Beren had parted with Lúthien... so would we. The death of two lovers. The end of the tragic tale.

Faerlain sighed contentedly and closed his eyes. And he died... lying in the snow... for the second time to me. And I cried... holding his lifeless body in my arms.

* * *

It was dark when a warrior pried him from me and washed his blood from my hands and told me they would prepare him for burial. But the nightmare wasn't over... and as the warrior wiped the grime from my face I stared, incomprehendingly, as he began to speak. It took me a while to understand what he meant. 

"The Prince, milady... you should go to him."

I felt sick with grief and death... a part of me felt hollow where my love for Faerlain had vanished without a trace. I regarded him mutely. The warrior hesitated.

"Prince Legolas is... gravely ill... milady."

I blinked. No... no... There was no possible _way..._ but there was. As I looked into that elf's eyes I understood. And in a moment of unbearable terror and grief I let out a wail of anguish and I slumped against him- sobbing. It was Cudir... it took my a long time to recognize him. He held me tightly and rocked me in his arms. I felt his warm tears on my cheeks.

"He needs you, milady." He said gently as my sobs softened.

"What's happened to him?" I choked.

"Lord Faerlain... may he rest in peace... saved the Prince from the first arrow- which would have killed him instantly if not for his intervention. But there was a second. It pierced his shoulder- poisoning the main arteries there."

"How bad is he?" I begged him. "Speak plainly that I might know." I pulled away from him, cursing the dark that I could not see his face. Cudir's voice was soft and broken when he replied.

"He will not last till morning... he slipped into a coma at nightfall."

No good-bye... no forgiveness. Only death... stark death. What had I done to deserve this? I moaned.

"Go to him milady..." He prodded, pausing him. "... he asked for you."

* * *

He was on a makeshift bed of blankets when I arrived... his tunic had been stripped off- exposing his bare chest to the winter air. Though I knew he would not feel it, I shivered despite myself. He lay unmoving- still as I had ever seen him. The black poison was already so near to his heart... his face was ashen grey. How long would he be with me still? Sleeping as if nothing had gone wrong? 

I knelt beside him and an elf who had been bathing his forehead with heated cloths turned to me in a wordless question. "May I...may I be alone... with him?"

He nodded, rising and gesturing for the others to follow. Someone had fashioned a lamp from star-flowers. I stared at it angrily. How could they take _both _of them from me? Had Faerlain died for nothing? Had his sacrifice been in vain? I moaned again as I planted a kiss on his forehead... but I received no reply. I shook my head- what had I been expecting? A miracle? I seemed to be fresh out of them. I threw back my head in agony and the camp fell silent at my cry.

"Why are you taking them from me?" I cried to the heavens, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Have I not suffered? I don't know what to do... I don't know what to do..." I sobbed.

No one comforted or silenced me. It was if I were alone. "WHAT DO YOU ASK OF ME?" I pleased. "This man is innocent... take my life! Take mine instead of his... only spare him!" I shouted, not caring who heard my prayers. "Have mercy on him... _please..._ _save _him. Do not kill him because of me... do not... do..."

I closed my eyes and a breeze rustled through my hair. "Please..." I begged.

"...please."

* * *

When I opened my eyes again it was light all around. The forest had gone and ti was only me and Legolas... but Legolas had not moved. 

"You are never forsaken." A resonating voice said from all around me. I gazed around in wonder, wiping tears from my eyes.

"Who's there?" I managed at last.

I saw a figure... bathed in light... approach me. "Did you not call to me?" The voice asked.

I felt shamed somehow... but I didn't care. I took Legolas' hand tightly in my own... as once I had held Faerlain's... "Please." I begged. "Do not take him... take _me_. I should have died... not him." I gazed at his face tenderly. "Not him." I couldn't see the figure's face.. But I could almost imagine him contemplating.

"A woman's love." He said softly.

It felt like an eternity before he answered.

"You would give your life for this man?"

_Elf. _I corrected mentally... but out loud, I answered only with a simple- "Yes."

Silence again.

"You are not of this world, Victoria Saronedhel. Perhaps it is time you returned."

I gazed hard at the figure until the light radiating from him burned my eyes. I gripped Legolas' hand so hard I feared it might break. "Sir?"

The figure knelt on the other side of Legolas and though the light surrounding him was so bright that I could not see his face, I knew I could not gaze at him and I lowered my eyes. "I will give you a choice, Victoria. You may return to your own world- nothing will have changed here. Legolas will live... in his own world."

I hardly dared to breathe as my hope soared.

"Or you may choose to remain... and he will perish."

I thought of my home... of my parents. And I thought how I would give my life just to see Legolas look at me one more time... just one more smile... one more day. "Why is this choice mine?" I asked, stalling before I answered.

"You are a special woman." He answered... but the way in which he spoke to me... I felt loved... I felt _warm. _Tears flooded my eyes.

"If I go home... he will live?" I repeated slowly, fearing I had heard wrong.

The being nodded. "Know this- you both will be unchanged. Legolas will never remember you... his life with continue as if you had never existed. They _all_ will."

He would never recall my name... my touch... my kisses. I breathed shakily. "Will I... remember?"

The being nodded. "Far too much has occurred... this is a burden you will carry forever, my child." He paused. "But you will _never _be alone."

I gazed at Legolas... I had lost all sense of time but I knew he was hardly breathing. _Have mercy..._ I turned tearfully to the being. "I will return." I said. "I will go back."

This time the voice changed as I answered... and the being faded into the figure of my older brother. I gazed speechlessly at him.

"How...?"

He held up his hand to silence me. "The Creator has given you this choice... not me." He said kindly. He gestured to Legolas. "We have to go... it's time to say good-bye."

He rose, leaving me along with Legolas. I turned to look at him, memorizing every detail of his face, the way his golden hair glowed in the light... the memory of his eyes... and I spoke to him... as strongly as I could...

...for the very last time.

* * *

**A/N: **If I am not Queen of Angst... I sure am now. This chapter was so hard to write! I've been planning it since the beginning but I felt like I killed a bit of myself with Faerlain died. He has to be one of the best characters I have ever created... I need to make a memorial to him or something... good lord... I hate myself sometimes for being so twisted. I apologize- since the rest of you have no idea how this is going to end this was probably a lot harder for you all. 

There will be sixty-four chapters... I stayed up till two A.M. yesterday finishing writing this story... now I only have to type it. I feel sad... and also a little relieved that's it's over... but I won't give away the ending!

Also, Zach is not the creator. He is dead... so he is taking Victoria home. The creator is God... the Valar... that sort of thing. Tolkien based his writings on many Catholic Roots and there are many metaphors found in the trilogy itself. I was sort of leaning on this fact when I used the 'Creator' as a character. Eru... God... Creator... same difference. I just wanted to mention that. :)

Thank you all so much for all your undying support- and I apologize for any errors (which I'm sure there are) that myself or my beta missed. And thanks again to my beta, Kiann! Updates should be coming within a day or so... I'm going to spend obscene hours getting this story all typed up. So please, send in those reviews! I need to hear what you think! Till next you read,

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	61. I Will Remember :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote**: "Come on... Faerlain will murder me if we don't make it on time."**

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-One**

I Will Remember

* * *

"Hey." I said softly. I wanted to be strong for him... but I couldn't. Not on my own. I lacked the strength... lacked the will. I had to go and -again- I had to say good-bye. My heart ached with longing as I gazed at his tranquil, emotionless face. He wasn't breathing. I leaned closer to him.

"I don't know if you can hear me... but I have an awful lot to tell you." I paused. "Well... maybe only one thing. I'm not really from around... _here._ Well... _there_... erm... you know what I mean." Could he hear me? Would he understand? No... he wouldn't. He would never even remember that I had even _existed_. He would find love... he would marry and have children. Do all things I would always dream of doing. I had wanted to be his wife... bear his children... but those dreams were over now. As my life had been here.

"I uh-" Tears burned in my eyes and my words lodged in my throat. "I'm going home." I whispered, caressing his cheek. _...he's so cold..._ "And I... uh... I won't see you again... ever..." The words sounded hollow to my ears but it pained me to speak them. "I just want you to know that..." I faltered... _what did I want him to know?_ "I... I love you- Legolas."

That was it... plain and simple. "I _love_ you. And I will _never _forget you."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I found myself gazing into my brother's face. He gestured with a nod of his head upward. "_He_ says it's time to go."

I couldn't answer... I turned back to Legolas and I found I had nothing to say... nothing I would remember him by. Except my love. _Only my love. _I kissed him... brushed my lips against his and I felt him slowly start to breathe. I tugged the medallion off from around my neck and I slipped it over his head. Pressing it to his bare chest as his heart slowly began to beat once more.

Now I am standing beside my brother and Legolas is fading from me as I go further and further away from him. The color is returning to his cheeks and I see him open his eyes... his _beautiful, grey eyes_... and he is gone. The white mist around me is fading and I feel empty... Zachary holds me tightly but I have no more tears. I feel numb.

"I'm sorry." He murmured. But he knows I forgive him... for everything. And he knows that I love him... even without me having said good-bye. "Say hi to Mom and Dad for me." He whispered. And then Zach is gone too. I imagine that I can see Mirlaic and Elenowen... baby Turwithiel and Ana waving to me.

_I imagine that I see Faerlain smile... but it is all so hazy now. I feel a nagging weariness at the back of my mind. And there is an annoying beeping sound... and voices... so many voices..._

* * *

Someone is crying... but I feel too weak to move. I open my eyes... something is holding my hand. "Victoria!" They cry. "Victoria!"

My vision is blurry and everything is so... _confusing. _"Mom?" I ask groggily... my voice is slurred and my tongue feels like sandpaper in my mouth- as if I haven't used it in a long time. I can see her now... laughing through her tears. She is holding me to her, her arms encircling me in a tight embrace. Dad is holding my hand... _as I had held Zachary's_. But there are so many other people... and the tingling in my arms and legs _hurts_.

_...so confused... it's making my head hurt... my clothes feel scratchy and stiff... they have a funny smell..._

"You're going to be all right." My father says.. He squeezes my hand... my mom is still crying. Dad has tears in his eyes as I squeeze back... weakly. It's so hard to stay awake... so _tiring._

_More voices... loud voices fading and I fall asleep into the comforting darkness away from the lights and the noise. _I feel more peaceful then I have in a long time. But as I drift off... I feel the ache in my heart. A reminder. Because I made a promise never to forget.

I will _always _remember.

* * *

Legolas felt groggy as he answered the call of his name. He opened his eyes... feeling a strange sensation run through his body as light flooded his vision. He groaned.

"Your majesty?" A concerned voice asked.

"Legolas?" Asked another- one that sounds far more familiar.

Everything is hazy... but strong hands lifted him up into a sitting position and he blinked as his vision came into focus. Dozens of concerned faces were looking down at him. They were in the forest.

"What happened?" He asked, gazing into the faces closest to him. A familiar face melts into an expression of relief. _My brother- _the explanation comes unexpectedly to his mind. "What happened?" He repeated... feeling dazed as he looked up at him.

"What happened! You fell from your horse! That's what happened! Too much wine I think." His brother said. _A joke... he is making sure I am all right. _

"Must have been..." He murmured... but something didn't feel... right. "Where are we going?" He asked.

His brother shook his head. "Ai... don't you remember _anything_, little brother? We're going to a wedding!"

"Wedding? Whose?" He asked in surprise.

The other elves laughed and his brother... Celebas... pulled him to his feet, steading him as he swayed, and then clapped him on the back. "What a fall you must have had! It is Faerlain's sister's of course!"

A wedding... _Faerlain. _He tested the name... it felt right... felt familiar. _Faerlain. _He remembered now. Araviniel was getting married... to a warrior she nursed back to health from the borders... "We're going to Gilloth?" He asked uncertainly. His head still ached and Celebas laughed.

"Yes, yes! Ai- I thought you knew how to ride better then that! Araviniel is getting married and Faerlain asked you to be there."

Yes... that was familiar. He turned to smile hesitantly at his brother, rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes... too much wine."

Celebas nudged him playfully and stood protectively at his side as he mounted. "Gimli always said you couldn't hold your liquor." Celebas turned to the other elves. "And the party hasn't even begun yet!"

Legolas seemed to have a vague memory of missing his older brother's mirth for some reason... but that didn't make sense. He and Celebas had always been together... hadn't they? He shook his head to rid himself of that confusion and smiled as he thought of Gimli. "We'll be late." Celebas said as he and the others mounted.

The way to Gilloth was familiar... he could recall that he visited it frequently... right? His memories felt foreign... as if they belonged to someone else. He turned to Celebas with a smile. "We'll be late only because of your fool stunt... imagine! The heir of Eryn Lasgalen falling off his horse!" Legolas said teasingly.

Celebas laughed. "Come on... Faerlain will murder me if we don't make it on time." _Faerlain... murder..._ The words made him tense for some reason and Celebas glanced over his shoulder at him and laughed again. "It was a joke, little brother! You look like you've just seen a ghost."

_Ghost... _He frowned... but it all must have been a bad dream... a _really _bad dream. After all... none of it made sense. He joined in with the laughter of their company and eagerly awaited seeing his dear friend once more. His mother's medallion felt warm against his chest and he smiled... but even then something wasn't right. And he couldn't seem to explain the ache he felt in his chest when the first star-trees of the village came into view.

* * *

**A/N: **So Victoria wakes up in a hospital and everything is beautiful and wonderful with Legolas. I realized about... hmm... ten chapters back that I sort of forgot about Araviniel. Her and Victoria were suppose to have a bit of a reunion but with all the excitement about Faerlain returning I completely forgot to put it in there. Sorry:)

I'll be posting chapters every two days or so... I really do want to get this story completed. So look out for the final ride of this story!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	62. Dreaming :: Part Three

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote**: "You know how busy us _important _people are. Maybe you should go count sheep... or find something else to do with your endless _unimportant _time."**

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Two**

Dreaming

* * *

My parents have changed. My father looks at me with tenderness in his eyes and my mother is no longer afraid. They tell me Talorta is waiting at home in the pasture for me. They tell me he has sired a son. A little colt. They tell me they have opened our breeding farm again and that Talorta and his son are both mine.

They tell me I have been in a coma for nearly ten years. I am infuriatingly weak... and it will be months before I am well enough to go home. I have told no one about Legolas... or what I was _really _doing for the all these past years. They would never believe me anyway.

I bear no scars now besides the one that pervert gave me when I first left home. When I began a journey that would bring me back here in the end. Back home. But even with all this happiness I have not forgotten.

An old friend of mine... Anneliese... came to visit me today. She is married. We went to high school together. She reminds me of Araviniel. They look similar... dark hair and green eyes, tall and lean with a vivacious personality- minus the immortality and pointed ears of course. And besides the fact that Anneliese isn't from... _there. _She told me of a trilogy she reads to her three daughters at night. A story about a ring... about lands full of orcs and elves... and I asked her if I could borrow it.

I will never forget him now. I wept with joy when I read his story... _their_ story. I do not question how it happened... I just know that it did. And that is enough.

I like Gimli... he is good for _him. _He makes _him _laugh..._he _was always far too serious anyway... too prone to anger. Gimli reminds _him _that even elves aren't perfect. I wish I could have met him.

I found _he_ looks similar to an actor called Orlando Bloom- but even he is a small caparison and resembles _him _only faintly. _He _is_... was..._ so different. And I am happy he lived... or died... in peace. Even if that peace was not with me. I am glad the story ended happily... as it should have always had.

I like it that way better... even if it means I am not with _him._ Happily ever after... the story ended well.

I am content with that.

* * *

Legolas was preparing to return to Ithilien. Araviniel's wedding was over and she was very happy. Faerlain had agreed to return to Gondor with him- Faerlain was betrothed.

"To whom?" Legolas had asked after congratulations had been given.

"She has dark hair- and eyes the sharpest blue. She is stubborn, quick-witted, and one to laugh."

She reminded Legolas of someone... but he couldn't think of who. "Will you be happy?" He asked, uneasy for some unexplainable reason.

Faerlain had sighed in contentment and smiled. "I will be blessed."

But something hadn't seemed right to Legolas... but he still couldn't explain why. The lanky figure of his brother appeared in the doorway and Faerlain excused himself with a smile to finish his own packing. Celebas was 'gracious' enough to knock.

"Well, well, well... the caretaker of Ithilien is returning to his post. Important now are we?"

Legolas smiled. Celebas would be King of Eryn Lasgalen one day. "You know how busy us _important _people are. Maybe you should go count sheep... or find something else to do with your endless _unimportant _time."

Celebas laughed easily, and the twinkle in his grey eyes warmed Legolas' heart. "Amusing, you are a comic genius. This just came for you." Celebas handed him a weathered letter.

"From Aragorn?" He asked in surprise, moving to open it.

"It came just this morning. Strange... didn't you just get a letter from the good _King_ of Gondor yesterday?"

Mail didn't travel _that _fast... no matter how Estel liked to brag. Frowning, Legolas pocketed the letter to save for when he was alone and he shrugged. "Important it seems."

"Mortal through and through... it seems Estel has not changed after all." Legolas half-smiled and Celebas nudged him. "Come on... don't look so gloomy! You're returning to Gondor aren't you?"

Legolas nodded, strengthening his smile.

"There is the Legolas I know and love!"

"Be on your way." Legolas replied, playfully chucking a pillow from his bed at his older brother. "I'll be along for dinner shortly."

Celebas shrugged. "Suit yourself... it will be your loss to be deprived of my company." He left with a smile and a wave and Legolas took out the letter to examine once more.

It looked as though it had been written in a hurry- but upon opening it Legolas found that it had been written during the winter months... nearly five months previous. Curious- he began to read.

_My friend. _

_I can't believe that I didn't remember when I was there. I recognized Victoria's scar when she was in the dungeons. It belonged to a young girl I found outside Gilloth's borders nearly a decade ago. If this reaches you in time for the trial, please use it! Victoria is innocent... and enough blood has been spilt over this matter. _

_I bid thee well. _

_Yours faithfully, _

_Estel_

Legolas frowned... _Victoria? Trial? _The letter didn't make any sense. Especially since Aragorn's last letter had simply been about supplies. Legolas pocketed the parchment once more and headed for the dining hall. But he couldn't help but feel, even in his jovial mood, that something was horribly wrong...

... and that he'd forgotten something terribly important.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I decided to just get all these chapters posted. And I apologize... I seem not to be able to count. The next chapter is the last... I counted wrong in my notebook. Sorry:) Also, notice the little connection, Anneliese (Victoria's friend) resembles Araviniel. (To make up in part for forgetting to add their reunion). And the elf Faerlain is in love with is like Victoria without him realizes. So forgive me, Faerlain fans, but he _is _happy- even though he's not with Victoria. I also got to comment on two things I really wanted to comment on. #1- that I really wanted Gimli to be in this story but he just didn't make it. And #2- that I really don't think Orlando gave Legolas all the credit he deserves. The films were fantastic... but they will always fall short of the books in one way or another for me. :)

Next chapter is last! (Tear) Reviews are appreciated!

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	63. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

Chapter Quote**: "We have forever." He answered softly. "Our forever."**

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Three**

Epilogue

* * *

Talorta is an old man now. He has sired eight sons and daughters and, strangely, he is no longer a cripple. According to my parents he never was- even after my brother's accident. Maybe it isn't so strange... after all, Talorta was the only one from home who came with me to Middle-earth. We both changed.

I will be twenty-eight this year. Ten years have past since my accident. I have been out of my coma for almost two. I wrote a book about a girl who falls into a story book and chooses to give it up for the man she loves- to save his life. It became a bestseller.

I have my own house on my parent's farm- I paint for a living. I paint memories... memories of my past life in Middle-earth. My signature name is Saronedhel- in memory of Faerlain.

I have never dated anyone in the months following my return. I read the epilogue of _Lord of the Rings _every night and I imagine Legolas' kisses before I go to sleep. I still love him... I always will. But this past night, as I opened the book to read his page, it had been torn out. I searched and searched for it for hours but I never found it.

I can't imagine what that could mean.

* * *

I was grooming Talorta when my Dad appeared in the barn- a grin on his face. I gazed at him with my brows raised, suspicious of his cheerfulness. "Why the grin?" I asked him, leaning on Talorta to look at my father.

He will be fifty-eight this year- but he looks so much older then when he did before my accident. Most of his previously dark hair has been streaked generously with grey- he will never hate me as he once did. That is a part of a past that died within both of us long ago.

"There is a handsome, young man waiting at the house for you. He says he's an old friend of yours."

I frowned... I certainly couldn't remember having any handsome, young men for friends. I slipped Talorta into his stall and dusted off my hands on my jeans. "What do you think he wants?" I asked curiously, pacing my father as we headed back for the house.

"Probably to propose marriage... it has finally gotten around that I've been hiding a beautiful daughter here."

I smirked, stopped him and planted a kiss on his cheek as he draped a hand over my shoulder. "But I'm already spoken for."

"I'm know... I know. By that fool horse." He sighed. "Can you blame a father for trying?"

I laughed and stepped inside the house. "So where is my gentleman caller?"

My father was already heading back to the barn. "In the parlor... don't keep him waiting."

I shrugged and closed the door behind me, smiling as I heard the familiar clank of dishes as my mother washed up. I walked through the dining room and into the parlor. The stranger was standing by the fireplace, studying the pictures of me and Zach on the mantle. _There was something about the way he stood that struck me as strangely familiar..._

"I'm sorry... I'm not sure I remember you. My name is-" I began, and then he turned around.

My words and body froze in mid-air. _No... it couldn't be. _The stranger had dark, slightly curling hair that fell in waves over his ears. That was different then the person I knew I must be imagining. But his face... _and those eyes... _they blinked. "Victoria?" He asked hesitantly, his voice was strangely accented... with a hint of that musical elvish language to it.

My world spun as I stared at him. "_Legolas?_" My knees buckled as I felt suddenly light-headed. I waited for the collision with the floor... that never came. He was holding me... I could feel him breathing... Oh God... _oh God_... I was crying... he was crying as I embraced him tightly- afraid that he would disappear if I let him go.

We broke apart... I stared at him. My fingers lightly ran over the tips of his ears- they were rounded. "How...?"

"I remembered." He said, his eyes shining. "And I begged the Creator to let me come to you. And he did."

"But your ears... your _hair...!_" The thought of _my_ Legolas with curly hair was enough to make me burst into giggles. I felt giddy.

He took my hand in his. "I am mortal now, Victoria. That was the price... that was what _he_ wanted in return."

Mortal... he was mortal. Oh God... _this can't be happening..._ "I was looking for you for so long..." He began. But I interrupted... too stunned to say anything else.

"You came back." I said, weeping with joy. "You waited for me."

"You _saved _me." He replied, caressing my face again- he gazed into my eyes.

I kissed him with a passion and a longing that I thought I had kept hidden for so long that I had nearly forgotten how much I loved him. _Thank you... oh thank you. _We broke apart, breathless as I gazed up at him in adoration. I smiled and curled a lock of his hair around my finger.

"Curls... they might take some getting used to."

He shrugged. "When you've been alive as long as I have... blond and straight gets sort of _boring _when, in your world, you can change so _much _about yourself."

"I like it... you look... boyish?"

He grinned. "I was aiming for mortal...but that works if you like it."

He was using modern lingo... and between the curls, those eyes (still grey), and the way he talked... he was just so... _wonderful_. That was all I could think of. Somehow calling Legolas 'sexy' sounded and _felt _wrong.

"It's Lawrence, by the way. Laurie if you like."

My Legolas as a _Laurie? _Fat chance. "You'll always be Legolas to me... curls and all."

He kissed me again... I could hear wedding bells in my mind as I dreamily returned his passion with my own.

"Victoria?" I heard my mother's voice from down the hall. We broke apart, rising to our feet... I hadn't even realized we had been on the floor... _oh yeah_- I had nearly fainted. "Are you all right?"

I looked at him... and we started to laugh. "Yes!" I called back to her between gasps. "I'm fine Mom. Where's Dad?" _Probably to propose marriage..._ my father had no idea how close to the mark he was. I glanced shyly at Legolas. "There's someone I want you to meet." He made my heart race just by looking at me. He took my hand in his, pressed it to his chest where I could feel his heart beating... and then he kneeled.

"Victoria... will you marry me?"

Did he even _seriously _have to ask? I pulled him to his feet and kissed him in reply.

"Is that a yes?" He asked mischievously.

"Do I look like I'm saying no?" I quipped as I kissed him again. I ran my fingers through his hair... through his _curls _and I giggled. I closed my eyes as he held me close to him and I listened to his heart beat as he stroked my hair.

"Don't ever leave me." I whispered fiercely, clutching him to me as he folded his arms around me.

"We have forever." He answered softly. "_Our_ forever."

I heard my parent's footsteps in the hall...but I didn't care. Yes... we had forever... _our _forever as _Laurie _called it. I felt myself giggle again. I wondered if my _Laurie _had ever read _Little Women _to come up with such a name- I would have to ask him sometime. But we did have forever- and I had _so many _questions... I felt my dreams resurface. _Our wedding... I found myself imagining what our children would look like... what Legolas would say when he found out he was in a book..._

But all that could wait. I would just relish in this moment and I breathed it in. I could go on like this forever- him just holding me. I had saved Legolas... and he had saved _me_.

And I was safe in his arms.

* * *

**THE END**


	64. SIMA Notes

**Disclaimer: **I own none of Tolkien's creations and only lay claim to my own humble creatures.

**Author: **Allora (aka) Elessar-lover

**Genre: **Angst/Mystery/Romance

**Rating:** T- for extreme violence and mild language

**Beta: **Kiann

* * *

**Safe in My Arms Ending Notes**

These notes are basically little tidbits of information on the Characters of _Safe in My Arms, _as well as a final note on the story itself. This is, all in all, my good-bye letter to both this story and all the wonderful reviewers who have followed me so faithfully over the years. Thank you!

* * *

**Notes Index:**

_Character Summaries_

_Plot Notes_

_Author's Notes_

_Upcoming Projects_

_A Gift For My Readers_

* * *

**Characters:**

_**Index of Characters: **_

_Victoria_

_Legolas_

_Faerlain_

_Zach_

_Aragorn_

_Thranduil_

_Cudir_

_Ana_

_Araviniel_

_Gimli (Honorable Mention)_

_Mr. and Mrs. Knightengale_

_Talorta_

_Mirlaic _

_Mirlaic and Tatharion_

_Celebas_

**Victoria Knightengale: **Victoria was one of the most challenging characters I have ever created. All of my main characters in my stories usually share something in common with me- for Victoria it was her stubbornness. :) This story was one of my more complex ones and each part (1, 2, 3) showed a different part of Victoria's character.

Part 1 introduced her and showed her lighter, more naive side of her nature. Part 2 showed her dark character and how torn she was over her guilt and who she had become. And, finally, Part 3 was more introspective as Victoria thought about all she had done and as she slowly changes as she falls in love with Legolas. Part 3 was very much in Victoria's thoughts and had a lot of the angst of the story. All in all, I think Victoria was one of more realistic characters and I'm very proud to have created her. :)

**Legolas, Son of Thranduil: **Legolas was my very first LotR crush. When I first watched the cartoons way back when the trilogy was first coming to theatres. Ever since I have wanted to write a fanfiction involving a romance with him. In this story I wanted to explore a dark side of Legolas- he was very light- or at least _lighter _then he is in the films. And I wanted to explore a side, almost a _bad_ side of him. I believe I succeeded.

On a separate note, it is true that I was never overly fond of Legolas played by Orlando Bloom. Though I felt Orlando did an excellent job- he still hasn't captured the Legolas of my dreams. So yes... even some things movies can't justify. :)

**Faerlain: **What can I say... I seem to be fond of tragic love affairs... Billy from my PotC fic to Matthias in my other LotR fic (poorly written btw the way... don't EVER read it.) :) But I have to say, it was the hardest thing I have ever done to kill Faerlain off. I knew he was going to die from the very beginning when I started this fic way back in September of 2004. I tried really hard not to make him so wonderful- but I failed. Faerlain loved Victoria so much that he made the ultimate sacrifice- he died for the man she loved so she would be happy. Jesus said that 'there is no greater love then when one gives his life for those whom he loves' (not exact words). That is what Faerlain did for Legolas.

So forgive me, Faerlain/Vic fans... but he did do something beautiful for Victoria when he realized she would never be happy with him in the end. Faerlain, as with many of my male fanfiction characters, posses some characteristic that I dream of when I think of my dream husband. For Faerlain, it was his undying loyalty to the people he loved. Not forgetting of course, how plain wonderful he was. :)

**Zachary Knightengale: **Zach, though he made what... three appearances in this sixty-three chapter novel, was important for this reason: he showed that, Victoria was terrified of death. She was terrified of it until the end when she realizes that it isn't something to be afraid of... but only an acceptance of the evitable and a journey we all take in the end. A farewell and a journey to a better life. So, even though he was dead, Zach ended up playing Victoria's big brother after all. :) And, I seem to have this strange fascination with older brothers. For some reason I always thought it would be awesome to have one... I don't know why... but I seem to have this recurring obsession with creating older brothers in my fanfictions. (Shrugs) What can you do:)

**Aragorn: **Though he wasn't really even in this story, Aragorn is one of my all time favorite LotR characters... so I managed to squeeze him in here in the end despite all. :)

**Thranduil: **He really wasn't a bad guy- a little stern perhaps... but not a bad guy. I wanted to show in this fic that he really was a worried father and that he really does love Legolas. That factor seems to be missing in a majority of fics I read about Legolas. I just felt he deserved a little tribute. :)

**Cudir: **Again, not a major character. Just an all around good guy. He was fun to work with- uptight... a very good soldier, faithful friend, brother, and husband. (His wife, child, and Ana are all alive at the end of the story- in case I failed to mention it before. :))

**Ana: **Ana played two _extreme _sides of herself in this story. A living, little girl, who sorely misses her parents who passed. And an older version of herself, embittered, creepy, and stern. Not the mention the fact she was a ghost all the time she was with Legolas and Victoria. A fun character to write- a very unyielding person. Great character. :)

**Araviniel: **I don't know how I managed to miss her in the end... but I never did end up writing her reunion scene with Victoria in the end... even though she largely deserved one. But she got a happily ever after in the end... and she married the young warrior she healed. She talked about him with Victoria in one of the earlier chapters in Part 1. A great best friend. :)

**Gimli (Honorable Mention): **I have always loved Gimli and Legolas' friendship and even though I couldn't manage to get him in SIMA... I did manage to get his little 'Legolas can't hold his liquor' line in there. Though I thought Legolas was a little out of character in that scene of RotK... I thought Gimli was freakin hysterical. :) Yay for dwarves!

**Mr. and Mrs. Knightengale: **Very bland characters... I really didn't put much work into them. Only in the end... I based Mr. Knightengale's personality (not his looks. :)) on both my own father and my grandpa. And I sort of based Mrs. Knightengale on Martha Kent from Superman... don't ask me why... I just did. :)

**Talorta: **Anyone who has read my past stories knows that I'm an avid horse fan. I own them, ride them, compete with them, love them... so in every story I've written horses, in one way or another, always make it into my fanfictions. Talorta was based on my former horse, Tuffey. Who now is retired and in the good care of my younger sister, Ashley. Who has been a faithful reader of this story from the beginning. Thanks so much Ash:) Talora, based on Tuffey, is just a wonderful being and is a written tribute to one of God's most wonderful creations. :) I'll miss you Talorta!

**Mirlaic: **The faithful foster mother. Mirlaic was a wonderful character to play around with and she really helped Victoria to mature- great to write. I don't have much to say about her... so I'll end it there. :)

**Mirlaic and Tatharion: **Tatharion was Mirlaic's lover who passed to the Havens before they married. I just wanted to mention this because Mirlaic's relationship with Tatharion sort of mirrored the ones Victoria had with Faerlain and Legolas. This was an intentional part of the plot. :)

**Celebas, Legolas' brother: **He really only had a part in the last few chapters... but I really enjoyed writing about him. Tolkien never mentions Legolas' having any other family besides his father... but I've read some pretty convincing stories by other gifted fanfic writers to suggest otherwise. A wonderful character and I had a lot of fun writing about him while he was around! He gave me a chance to lighten Legolas up a bit- which was fun as well. Another awesome older brother... I seriously have an obsession with them. Older brothers I've always fantasized as being awesome... younger brothers suck. What can I say? I'm just strange that way. :)

* * *

**Plot Notes:**

SIMA was supposed to be a plunge and exploration into the darker parts of Middle-earth... and as an angst writer I believe I have succeeded in that respect. It is, by far, the most popular fanfiction I have ever written with over 700 reviews and over 63,000 hits. It was one of my well-written stories even though the beginning was a little more of my more inexperienced work. It was a joy to write and I finished it bitter-sweetly.

I believe I have written a successful Legolas because, much to my surprise, I was never once flamed for it. Believe me, I am shocked still. I know the name, Legomance, has been tarnished by smutty female fanfic writers who can't control their hormonal urges- so I wanted to redeem this aspect of LotR fanfic genre and I hope I have done that in all of your eyes :)

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I will miss SIMA very much... but I'm also glad it's over. 1 and 3/4 years is a long time to be writing anything. I don't know how Tolkien managed to stay interested with LotR when it took him a whopping 12 years to write the trilogy! That is INSANE! And my hat's off to him. :)

SIMA will be my first story without a sequel. In a way, it in itself is like a trilogy. It is, after all, broken up into three parts. I might reformat it one day and post each part as a separate story... who knows? I'm fine with it the way it is now. :)

The only thing I might add onto this is a one story as a girl for my cousin, Cailey, and is devastated that Faerlain and Victoria didn't get married and have lots of elven/mortal babies. So you can look for that in the far future... Cailey will probably kill me if I don't write it. So you have something to look forward to any Victoria/Faerlain fans!

Again, I don't think I mentioned this before, if anyone has a desire to write a fanfiction off my fanfiction- if you ask permission you are more then welcome to. I sort of left the story open ended but I would love to read any one-shots of Victoria and curly-haired _Laurie _together if anyone felt that particular urge. :)

Ok, and I know there hasn't been much humor in this fic... in fact there is probably less then 1 humor in the entire story, but wasn't the last chapter funny? I mean... curls and _Laurie? _I don't know where the inspiration for that came from... but now it's here all the same. :)

* * *

**Upcoming Projects:**

Hmm... I'm working to finish my Fantastic Four fic, _Fire May Burn_, before my semester starts. After that, I'm planning to work on my PotC sequel, _When the Tide Comes In_, and my two Narnia Fics: _Amid the Burning Plains_, and, _The Lion, the Door, and the Campbells_. As well as my Batman Begins Fic: _One Dark Knight_.

Yes... I do have my work cut out for me. I'll be taking a break from LotR fics for a while... I've been writing nothing but LotR since I first started writing fanfiction and I'd like to see some new faces. :) As far as new fics go... I'm obsessed with the new Superman movie, Superman Returns, and have been brewing ideas for two fics of that genre for weeks now. So... we'll see what happens there. :)

So far my other fics aren't quite as popular as this one was. (What can you do?) But if you would like to support my work... please read and review some of my other fics! Sometimes the only thing that keeps me wanting to work on them is the fact that people really do want to read my work. :) So keep that in mind:)

* * *

**Author's Gift to My Reviewers:**

The story is over. Anyone who reviews I will reply to... I'm not allowed to in this chapter so if you are an unregistered reader, leave your email in your review if you want a reply:) But, as a thank you to everyone who has reviewed and read this story, I've made two banners and a wallpaper to commemorate SIMA. I don't know if the links will work when I post it here... but if now you can view the banners at the SIMA website, Star-Flowers. The link to Star-Flowers is available on my author's bio. :)

I have to tell you, there were so many times for this fic that I just wanted to quit... thank you all so much for keeping me energized enough to finish:)

Remove the spaces:

Gah... the links aren't working... so go to the website to view the banners. :)

_Banner #1:_

_h t t p / i 1 0 . p h o t o b u c k e t . c o m / a l b u m s / a 1 1 1 / d r a g o n r i d e r / F F P i c s / s i m a b a n . j p g_

_Banner #2:_

h t t p / i 1 0 . p h o t o b u c k e t . c o m / a l b u m s / a 1 1 1 / d r a g o n r i d e r / F F P i c s / s i m a b a n 2 . j p g

_Wallpaper, 800x600 px:_

h t t p / i 1 0 . p h o t o b u c k e t . c o m / a l b u m s / a 1 1 1 / d r a g o n r i d e r / f f p i c s / s i m a w a l l . j p g

* * *

**Finis**

**Started:** 9-4-04

**Completed: **7-30-06

**Good-bye darlings! I will miss you all:)**

**-Allora **

"_Parting is such sweet sorrow."_

- Romeo and Juliet


End file.
